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In their Fan Friday live event, and in the following released press pack, Hasbro gave us more details about their Deluxe War Machine Release. The set is comic based and will feature both a helmeted head and a classic 90's era Rhodey head. The figure features new shoulder armour features that opens up arm movement more so than previous armoured figures. The figure includes shoulder weaponry as well as a bunch of FX pieces - including to large "blast off" sections that attach to each foot. Deluxe War Machine is an Autumn 2020 release and will be a general release at all stockists. MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES 6-INCH DELUXE MARVEL’S WAR MACHINE Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans, collectors, and kids alike can enjoy this MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES 6-INCH DELUXE MARVEL’S WAR MACHINE Figure, inspired by the character from the MARVEL comics. This quality figure features premium design, detail, and multiple points of articulation for high poseability and display, and is a great addition to any action figure collection. Includes figure and 8 accessories. Available for pre-order at Hasbro Pulse, Amazon, Best Buy, Entertainment Earth, and Big Bad Toy Store. 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, legends, war machine

Storm showed off their Streets of Rage Axel Stone figure at New York Toy Fair, and they have now released the full information for the figure. Axel Stone, from Streets of Rage 4, will be released in the 6 inch scale and will feature three head options and 5 pairs of hands for varying fighting poses. He comes with 5 in game weapons including two glass bottles (one whole, one broken), knife, baseball bat and boomerang. There are also FX pieces for those special moves. Axel Stone is down for a Quarter 4 2020 release. Streets of Rage 4 is be an all-new continuation of SEGA’s iconic arcade brawler series known for its radical fights, jammin’ ‘90s beats and dashing sparring gloves and bandanas. Axel Stone (アクセル) is one of the protagonists of the Street of Rage series. Along with protagonist Blaze Fielding, he has appeared in every game of the series. After the fall of Mr. X, Axel retired from the police force and left the city, deciding to live a simple life in isolation and spend his days training and studying. However, he immediately returns to the city when Blaze calls for his help to take down the new Syndicate. Features: 3 x Interchanging Head Sculpt 5 x Pairs of hand 2 x Special move Effect 5 x In game weapon Estimated release date: Q4 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, storm, collectibles, axel stone, streets of rage

The "Vault Programme" will see the current figure guides on my site move from a static page format to an interactive database. The new database format will allow for a lot more content to be held, and new content to be added more easily. It also allows the user to filter the data by various criteria as well as searching for an individual character. Following on from Star Wars Black Series and NECA, my Doctor Who page has now converted to the new format. VISIT THE NEW DATABASE The Who content is that from 2013 to present for the 5 inch line, essentially the return of the line after its hiatus while Character released 3.75 inch characters. Each figure has a slot with images of the figure and the packaging. Figures are allocated by era (New or Classic) and by Doctor. If you click through a release you will find a records page with some more info including episode info (where available) and notes/galleries where applicable. There are also links provided where I have done a review of the figure/set. My next consideration is if we can work backwards to create a full archive of Doctor Who figures back to 2005. I certainly own most of them for photos, but most are loose so packaging images may be the issue. Like each database, this would be focus on the release and figure and not so much any card variants or international differences. Let me know if this is something that would be of use? 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, doctor who, dr who, character options

Review : 12th Doctor* Doctor Who 5.5" Collectors Series Wave/Series : 2015 Toys R Us Wave Released : October 2015 Price : £14.99 * The 12th Doctor is available with 4 shirt colour variations. Black, White, Purple, Spotted We start with the 12th Doctor in 5" scale, or rather 5.5" scale as it is now advertised. This 12th Doctor's head sculpt first cropped up in the Time of the Doctor set earlier this year, and has now been put on it's own figure, and over the next few months will be released in at least 3 different varieties. I write this review with the white shirted version in hand, and I plan to update the images to include the planned black and polka dot shirted versions once I have them. The new 2015 figures have launched with a brand new packaging strategy, that of putting single figures in boxed packaging similar to that of Hasbro's Star Wars Black Series or NECA's newer Terminator and Planet of the Apes figures. These boxes allow collectors to open the figures and then return them to the boxes for display if they wish, something you could not do with the single figure blister packs we have had since 2006. The box design is much brighter than the packaging we have been used to, and reminds me of the packaging Dapol were using around the 25th Anniversary in 1988. The front see's the characters name in the bottom right in a purple flash, and on the left side the Underground Toys Logo who have commissioned these for production and are the distributors in the United States. Here in the UK the figure is available as a joint exclusive between Forbidden Planet International and Toys R Us. Spin the box round and the reverse is considerably darker in colouring vs the bright visuals of the front, with a space nebula background. You will find a large picture of the Doctor figure itself, with an extensive bio down the right hand side, and a quote from the show to the right of the figure. Turn the box back round and the right side panel is completely clear while the left panel holds the Dr Who Logo, the 5.5" collectors scale diamond statement and the character name. Once unpacked the Doctor comes fixed into the clear plastic insert, along with his Sonic Screwdriver accessory. Behind him is a 2 sided cardboard blue backdrop which is another element that matches what Hasbro and others are doing, but also reminds me of the backgrounds Character did in the mid 2000's with the 2 and 3 packs like the Doomsday box set. Some collectors will display with these backdrops, and it certainly makes a nice background for photography. The Doctor stands dead on 5 1/2" high out of the box, putting him the same height as the 3rd and 4th Doctors and considerably taller than the 1st and 2nd. He is also taller than the 10th Doctor, so I would avoid putting his side by side with Tennant. The sculpt is, once in hand and up close, a good likeness to Peter Capaldi who I would suspect has a difficult face to capture as he is so expressive. The paint is neat and picks out the eyes and those famous eye brows and appears to have some ever so subtle shading to help the definition of the cheekbones etc. The hair does a job and is probably as accurate as you can get on a 5.5" figure, but it does lack the bounce and wispiness of the 12th Doctor's real hair. It's painted in a dark grey and then dry-brushed in a lighter tone. The only fault I can find on the head is a slight blemish on his neck which can only be seen when the head turns to look to the Doctor's left - looks like a mold error in the factory. Like the Doctor's real outfit, the clothing is quite plain and made up of a thigh length black coat, trousers and a shirt. It is the shirt that changes on each of the variant figure coming in White, Black, Purple and Black with Polka Dots. All the clothing is painted quite flatly, but it is nice to see the coat has the red lining. This lining is a nice touch, but it would have been nice if it could have been visible when the figure was on display, perhaps by flaring the coat tails a little? Everything else is neatly painted including the belt buckle and the sleeves of the shirt which protrude slightly from the coat arms. The figure is sculpted with a ring on its left figure and the right hand is sculpted to hold his screwdriver which looks the same one used on the older Matt Smith 11th Doctor figure - nothing wrong with that, it is the same screwdriver. The figure is finished in the Doctor's boots which are painted in a gloss black finish with seperate grey soles, which adds some variation to the dark costume. The Doctor Who figures from Character have never been massively articulated, but never needed to be. It is nice to see this one has got a couple of improvements. The head rotates on a peg, but is stopped from getting right over to look fully to the left or right by the sculpted shirt collar. The arms are where we now find a ball jointed shoulder. This means the arm can both rotate right round the body, but also 90 degrees out to the side. This has only been seen on a few CO figures to date, but certainly helps get a few more action poses out of the figure. The elbows are a joint and the wrists rotate in the sleeves. There is a waist swivel and the hips are on a similar joint to the arms, although not quite ball joints. That means you can sit the Doctor down, but also stretch his legs to either side to do the splits if you want, but more realistically to give him a wider stance and show off a tad of that red coat lining. Thigh swivels and knee joints add to the leg articulation and the ankles rotate, although aren't on a rocker - this means there is only really one neutral pose that has the Doctor's feet planted firmly on the ground. As I start a brand new archive of reviews I suppose this figure sets a precedent in terms of scoring, so I have considered this carefully. At the RRP of £16.99 it is comparable to other figures on the market when you consider a smaller 5POA Star Wars figure now costs £9.99 and slightly larger 6" collectors figures are around £22. The articulation is not comparable to say the Funko Legacy range or the Marvel Legends, but it does enough and is certainly a step up from the older CO figures. The sculpt is as good as any similar scale figure, and the paint job neat and accurate to the figure it it is representing. If I had to point out the negatives then the neck blemish on mine is unfortunate, and if it is a mould issue at the factory may well exist on the other figures. The red coat lining could have been more visible by tweaking the coat mould, and if any articulation was going to be added, I would have loved to see ankle rockers to help these figures stand a little better in more dynamic poses vs the neutral pose they arrive in. At the price point these are coming in on then I award 4 out of 5

I start this review with the fact that this figure is 2 years late! This is not strictly true of course, but this is the figure that Dr Who figure collectors were clamouring for in November 2013 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary and the Day of the Doctor special. It would have been a perfect release back then, dropping into stores after the 23rd November so as not to spoil the ending. We first saw blurry images of The Curator at SDCC in July 2015, and it was eventually announced as a Forbidden Planet Exclusive with pre-orders fulfilled in November. The Curator is what we would probably call a Deluxe release in this new world of the 5 inch collectors series. He arrives in a larger box than the standard single figures, although retains the overall design features like the blue to red vortex background, the white Dr Who logo and the blue flashes which contain the character name. The two box ends repeat the logo and character name as well as an image of the Curator figure itself. On the back this image is expanded to show the Gallifrey Falls No More painting and there are a couple of paragraphs explaining the Curator's appearance in Day of the Doctor. Once opened the background card is coloured in a beige design to represent the British Museum with its TARDIS-esque roundels set to one side behind the Curator. The base of the insert is a wooden floor effect, and this would make a decent enough backdrop if you had the time and patience to secure it to a more robust background. Let's look at Tom Baker first. Over the years I have lost count of how many 4th Doctor figures we have had, but this is obviously Tom has he is now in his 80's and the face captures this really well whilst retaining that little twinkle that the 4th Doctor always has in his eye. Gone is the big hair, and replaced with a nicely sculpted and more refined grey hairstyle. The Curator is wearing a sculpted shirt, over which is a rubber outer blazer. The blazer is quite plain in sculpt, with no real texture or any folds in the fabric. They have included a handkerchief in his top breast pocket and a couple of pocket flaps down by the waist. Like the jacket the arms are very plain and this is also the same on the trousers which lack any real detail. The figure is finished with a pair of shoes which like the rest of the figure lack any form of detail, no laces, buckles or even a significant sculpted definition change between shoe and sole. While the body sculpt remains very plain, they have tried to fill in the detail with the paint applications. The coat is very neatly painted with blue and red check to represent the tweed. Sadly, although quite precise, it doesn't work as the pattern is too large and needs to be on a textured base such as the one they did with the Brigadiers sweater in the Axon pack. The shirt is a bit better with a tighter pattern of brown and beige and again very precisely applied. The trousers are left in a plain burgundy finish, with the shoes painted a very high gloss brown. Yet they have certainly not scrimped on the head which is painted really well with pale blue eyes and a muted mouth colour. The sculpt is enough for the definition of the face to stand out, but it would be interesting to see what a wash and/or drybrush would do to the face sculpt. The hair has a base colour of an off beige and then drybrushed in grey which is a much nicer finish to say that of the recent 12th Doctor. Articulation is pretty standard for this figure. The head rotates on its peg, the arms are jointed at shoulder, bicep, elbow and wrist - although I can't see anyone wanting to put Tom into anything more than a neutral pose. There is a very stiff waist joint under the coat and leg joints at the hip, thigh, knee and a little bit of ankle movement My key issue with the articulation, and I don't think it is isolated to my figure is the quality. Out of the box my Curator has a very loose almost ill fitting joint between thigh and lower leg and the arms pop off too easily at the bicep swivel, particularly as the shoulder joints are excessively stiff. The only accessory included aside from the painting which I will get to in a moment, is a walking stick. This fits really well into Tom's right hand, and is thankfully the right length to touch the floor (how many have we seen that are too short). You kind of wish the release had stopped here, and The Curator had been presented as a single release. But they went on and added the lenticular painting.... We've seen these before in the City of Death and Silver Nemesis releases, with the lenticular aspect being used on the Mona Lisa from City, and also showing up on Sil's tank from Vengeance on Varos. Let's look at this oversized painting, as named Gallifrey Falls no More in the episode. First the frame is nicely done in a good solid plastic with intricate scrollwork and a paint application to add a striped design to the outer edge. The lenticular part is a fail though. It may be my eye site but I can't make out anything in the image and I would have actually preferred them to drop the lenticular aspect and just give us a good quality print of the painting from the episode. The other bug bear on these paintings, and particularly with this one, is what do you do with them as a collector. Ideally I want to be hanging these somehow in my cabinet and although the frame here has been sculpted and case to have four sockets on the back for the ties to keep it in the box, they didn't both giving it a hanging peg to allow you to wall mount it. The other option would be to include a stand. In fact in the show when the 11th Doctor looks at the painting it is actually on an easel rather than the wall, and it wouldn't have taken much to throw this in for collectors. So yeah, I don't like the painting, or rather I begrudge paying what I perceive as a premium for the painting to get the figure. This box set will set you back £29.99 which is double what you will pay for a 5 inch figure now at Toys R Us. For that price I would have preferred a 2nd figure, even a repack of say the 11th Doctor, or a much better job of the painting with its own easel, wall hanging bracket and maybe even the lenticular dropped altogether if the look wasn't crisp enough. If you sit back and remove the giddiness of getting a new Tom Baker figure from the 50th Anniversary, and line the Curator up against other releases then the score isn't going to be particularly high. The value for money aspect is a big problem, I think the painting is missing some aspects to make it worth the extra. The figure also has a wonderful head sculpt, and then a very un-detailed body and it screams out for some texture on the jacket at the very least. This one is certainly for die hard fans only, and for me gets a 2 out of 5, which is probably quite controversial. Let me know what you think over on our Facebook page?

After a couple of years of virtually nothing, the Character Options 5 inch Dr Who range is back with a bang. New figures at Forbidden Planet, a new range on the shelves at Toys R Us and to top it off two exclusive figures only available from the Character Options Website. The Missy figures were announced by Al Dewar via a YouTube presentation back in late September and pre-orders have now been dispatched and received by collectors. They are limited to 4000 units of each. As the figures share much of the same sculpt and articulation I am going to look at both of them during this review. Missy arrives in the newly established boxed collector packaging, with its blue to red vortex background, white Doctor Who logo and blue flash character text. However, this is still different to the other 12th Doctor releases as it doesnt come with a clear side window, and on the Missy figures there is a Victorian Scroll design around the window - all of which will drive MIB collectors mad. The sides of each box are simply a repeat of the Dr Who logo and the character name in the blue flash, alongside a QR code. The rear of the box is taken up with a couple of paragraphs of text about the character Missy and a quote taken from the series 8 two part finale where Missy made her debut. The text and quote are identical on both releases, the only variance being the image which depicts the figure itself - either the black or purple. The obvious miss on the packaging is any mention of its exclusivity, In other ranges this is often tackled with a stamp, logo or even foil type badge and feels like a miss considering the premium price on this for its exclusivity. Inside each pack is the cog and clock-working cardboard background, and unlike the blue of the Doctor, this one is red. Missy herself is strapped into the perspex tray alongside an umbrella and her "Missy Device". MIB fans will be really frustrated with the amount of fabric ties used to strap Missy in place, and the choice of these being white rather than black that really stands out. As this figure is an exclusive and sold only online I see no need for the ties as I believe that in the main they are a theft deterrent (Hasbro stopped using these on the Black Series a good while ago). At this point let's look at each figure in isolation. The first is the black version, which is a representation of how Missy was dressed in "Heaven" or the "Nethersphere". Starting with the head sculpt, and this figure is probably the slightly weaker sculpt. The idea is to capture Missy's "manic" grin and to the most part they have achieved that, it is just ever so slightly off and from some angles looks more like a grimace. That being said it is a good resemblance, at this scale, to Michelle Gomez and the hair on this version is really nicely sculpted in a very intricate design. Down to the outfit and this is quite plain on the black version. CO have sculpted a base figure for both versions, and the key difference is the rubber over coat. On "Heaven" Missy this coat is very plain with a couple of pockets to either side and 4 fairly softly sculpted buttons on the front. The arms are sculpted with a clothing seam down the rear and finish in a further 3 buttons. Both hands are sculpted very well and sport rings which is a nice touch that could have easily been left off. The coat runs down over a long skirt which and the figure is finished in high heel lace up boots, which are sculpted fully up to her knees under the skirt, and the upper thighs are also sculpted - these may or may not be a re-use from an older female figure like Astrid, Clara or perhaps Jo Grant? The alternative Purple outfit is identical other than the coat which has an extra trim down the buttoned front and round the hems. It is also added to the coat pockets and around the sleeve of the arms - which then explains why on the black coat the sleeves seem to have a weird shiny band in this exact same location. The head on the Purple version is the better sculpt as I mentioned earlier. The neutral look is much cleaner and a good likeness to Michelle Gomez. The hat sits naturally on her head, tilted forward and creating some shadow on the face, which then looks more menacing than the manic grin. The hair remains the same as the black version, albeit cut away at the front to allow the hat to be seated. The heads are designed to be interchangeable, allowing up to 4 looks to be achieved if you own both figures. The heads do pop off and pop on OK, but perhaps need a bit too much force and I suspect doing this too often will not only rub more paint on the neck, but also see wear on the paint of the head itself where you will grip the figure. Paint on both versions is neat and well applied. The black outfit is by its nature naturally monotone, while the purple has the trim edge neatly picked out in a black finish. Both have a cameo brooch buttoning up her blouse at the neck, and this is neatly painted so you can pick out the silhouetted art-deco head. The faces are both done neatly with eyes, eyebrows and lipstick all in the right place. They have also been quite subdued with the blusher which is there on the cheeks but not too much so that she looks like a clown, or someone who has just been slapped. The hair has the only real paint effect with a brown base colour and a darker wash followed by a lighter dry brush. On the hatted version the front floral display is picked out with at least 4 colours. My only paint gripe is on this hatted figure and round the back where I have a white patch in the hair, this may be paint, unpainted plastic or more likely glue when the hat was added. Articulation on Who figures has always been limited, but these 2015 figures have now reached 18 points of articulation - sadly on Missy not all are serviceable. The heads are on a peg system rather than a ball joint, so simply rotate at the joint. Like a lot of earlier figures, the hatted version is already showing signs of rub on the neck where it catches on the collar of the costume, this will look unsightly if you continue to move the head and why I prefer ball jointed heads onto fixed neck's. The arms are now on both a swivel and a pivot joint so that they can both more outward from the body to either side, but also rotate fully. With the bicep swivel this means you can have Missy stood with hands on hips if you wish, which is a pose she often takes up in the show. The elbows bend at a standard joint, but now also rotate too in a similar design to the newer Star Wars 6" figures. The arm articulation finishes with a wrist swivel. A waist joint under the coat does allow a bit of movement in turning Missy's torso to either side if you wish. Under the skirt you can see a hip joint, thigh swivel, knee joint and a rotation at the top of the boots. All of this is really redundant as its all blocked in by the skirt, it could have even been left off and maybe saved a few quid on development costs (my simplistic thinking - it's certainly not that easy I would assume). Unlike many of earlier female figures, particularly those on heels, Missy stands really well and is very solid standing. Both figures come with the same accessories. First off is an umbrella, which on both of mine arrived bent due to the packing position. This fits neatly enough into the right hand, but most fans would have actually loved to see an open umbrella rather than the closed one - giving the ability to hit that iconic Mary Poppins pose. The Missy Device is quite small and fiddly, and although it would balance in the left hand I recommend putting it into the more secure right hand. Both accessories are painted with a gold tip on the umbrella and some red detail on the device. There has always been some disparity in heights with the 5 inch range, but Missy looks spot on and stands the same height as River Song and therefore shorter than her nemesis, the 12th Doctor. When it comes to scoring you have to bear in mind the value for money of this figure. Unlike the new Toys R Us range which has an RRP of £14.99, this one is retailing at £19.99 - which is comparable to what you would pay for a more detailed NECA 7" figure, or a better articulated Hasbro 6" figure - be it Star Wars or Marvel. Sculpt is good, paint is neat, the variant outfits are cleverly done and the only grumble for fans will be the lack of an open umbrella and any mention of exclusivity on the box for MIB collectors. To that end and with the value for money aspect I am going to score Missy 4 out of 5 BUY EXCLUSIVELY FROM CHARACTER OPTIONS HERE

Review : 11th Doctor (Time of the Doctor) Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet International, Autumn 2015 releases Released : November 2015 Price : £14.99 In 2014, Forbidden Planet and Underground Toys (the US distributor of the Character Options Dr Who licence) released an 11th Doctor set based on the Time of the Doctor, the Christmas episode that saw Matt Smith's era come to a close. The set was widely criticised for its £29.99 price tag, particularly as it only included one figure - albeit with three heads and two chest pieces. Some 12-months later and this same figure, with the 11th Doctor head, has now been included in the boxed collectors figures that are being sold at Toys R Us, and via Forbidden Planet International. The Doctor arrives in the boxed packaging, which gives him a more collectors feel vs the blister packed figures we have also seen on Toys R Us pegs. As well as being sold via Toys R Us, these boxed figures are also being sold via Forbidden Planet International as part of their partnership with Underground Toys. The packaging is standard fare for this new boxed range with its black through to orange vortex design around a window through which you can view the figure. Round the back is a large image of the actual figure, and to the left of this is a potted history of the 11th Doctor which talks you through his time with Amy Pond and then with Clara before his regeneration on Trenzalore. If you have purchased from Forbidden Planet, or indeed overseas, then you will find the Underground Toys logo bottom centre next to the Character Options logo and safety/legal notices. If you have bought at Toys R Us then this Underground Toys logo will have been over-stickered with black as the Toys R Us deal is solely with Character. Out of the box and the Doctor stands 5 1/2 inches high, somewhat shorter than the 6 inch 12th Doctor figure released in the same wave. In reality Smith and Capaldi are the same height (1.8m), but long time collectors will know that adherence to scale hasn't always been a strong point of this line. The figure is really nice and shows how far the range has come in the 10 or so years it has been running, and shows off what Character could be doing with the 5" scale now. The head sculpt is really well done, and puts other ranges to shame - Star Wars Black Series I am talking to you right now. Smith's hair looks just right with a sweeping fringe to the side of his forehead. Paint is basic, with a flat flesh tone. But the lips, eyes and eye brows are all done neatly and the hair does have two tones of brown with the lighter tone brushed on top to bring out the depth of the sculpt. The coat is cast in a separate rubber piece but hangs really well on the figure, and is also textured with stitched panels built into the design. It is coloured a single tone purple, but they have coloured the collar section in brown to match the on-screen appearance. Under the coat is the trademark bow tie, and this is neatly painted with a polka dot design. Beneath this is a waist coat, complete with very intricate gold fob watch chain - sculpted, not painted! The top half is finished in a blue shirt, complete with white buttons. Trousers are quite plain in black, and are similar to those used on most 11th Doctor figures to date. They are sculpted with folds and ruffles in the cloth and are bunched up and then tucked into the Doctor's boots. The boots, so often a plain colour on older figures, are now two tone with a brown base colour and grey panels painted on top with a dark wash applied over the laces to bring out the detail. So looks tick plenty of boxes, what about articulation? Well this has advanced a little since the launch of the range - but not much and the joints are showing their age considering this is badged as a collectors range. The head is on a peg and should technically only rotate. On the review figure we have here this head is loose and although initially frustrating, it does mean we can achieve a little bit of movement to make the Doctor look up and down. The shoulders have moved on to a ball joint, so these can move outwards from the torso to about 45 degrees, and then rotate round above the head. A bicep swivel is included, but as the arms are quite "flattened" at the upper arm, twisting this just ruins the lines of the figure. Elbows are a basic pin joint, and the pin is clearly visible on the elbow. The hands are pegged and should rotate round, but you will find that they feel "stuck" when you come to turn them and I didn't force the issue as I have had sheared hands on other figures. There is a waist swivel hidden under the bottom of the waistcoat, and this moves a full 360 degrees if you wish. The hips are what I would describe as a T-joint, and similar to what Diamond uses on their select figures. The joint allows the legs to spread out in a splits motion and also to swing forward towards a seating position. The side movement finds itself blocked by the coat tails after just a few centimetres, whereas the forward movement will go to a full seated position - although again the coat tails will prevent him from actually sitting. Like the arms, there is a cut swivel and this falls halfway down the thigh and for me adds no value other than being able to quote an extra +2 points of articulation. The knees are a single pegged joint and have a 90 degree bend. The peg head is not as visible purely due to the colouring of the trousers. There is no movement on the feet (I guess that is why the thigh swivel is there). The Doctor comes with a single accessory, his Sonic Screwdriver. This uses the same sculpt as has been in use since the 2010 11th Doctor figures. That's no problem though as it is a good sculpt, and the paint applications are better now with clear gold, green and silver paint throughout the Screwdriver. As always it is quite a soft plastic, so watch out for it bending - but being pliable it will fit easily in the Doctor's right hand. I really like this figure. Both this release, and the 8th Doctor we reviewed earlier in the year, show what Character could do with this range if they put it back on the table. Yes, the articulation is showing its age - but the ramping up in looks more than compensates. For £14.99 its pushing value for money, but Who collectors have always paid more to get the figures of their beloved show. I score the Time of the Doctor 11th Doctor a very strong 4 out of 5.

NECA have released images for the packaging for their Misfits "The Fiend" 8 inch action figure re-releases. The Fiend, in red and black robes, were first released in 2014 and were based on the artwork of punk band Misfits. Each figure comes with a Candelabra accessory. These 2020 releases feature updated window box packaging and are due to hit stores in June 2020. Get your retro fix with this brand new Misfits “The Fiend” doll! The poseable 8″ figure is dressed in tailored fabric clothing similar to the retro toy lines that helped define the licensed action figure market in the 1970s. The Fiend is one of the most recognized music mascots of all time, and we are proud to present two versions based on the classic artwork and imagery of the legendary punk band Misfits. The Fiend is available in either red or black flowing robes: both versions come complete with three different hands and a candelabra accessory. Blister card packaging with removable protective clamshell. For more on the Misfits and Misfits Records releases visit: Misfits.com and MisfitsRecords.com 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, misfits, neca, the fiend

Review : 12th Doctor Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Forbidden Planet Released : 2016 Price : £14.99 Pro's : improved sculpt, neat paint job, sonic screwdriver is fantastic considering the size Con's : articulation is dated. These figures seem to grow with each release, and this Doctor dwarfs his predecessors. Collectors of the 5 inch Doctor Who figures by Character Options have had a very barren few years, but 2017 did see three new figures up for sale. These were made up of two 12th Doctor figures and a 10th Doctor in his Tuxedo. The figures went into Forbidden Planet as exclusives, but there was an indication these would also go into Toys R Us as a follow up to the 2016 releases they had sold. Sadly the figures never made the high street, and while the 10th Doctor Tux is still relatively cheap to pickup. The two 12th Doctor figures have increased significantly in price once Forbidden Planet sold out. The packaging remained consistent for the 2017 releases, made up of a window box with blue clockwork backdrop and orange nebula design with blue inserts to carry the character name and to confirm the 5.5 inch scale (half inch bigger than the original 5" figures?) The card back carries a very in-depth overview of the 12th Doctor aside an image of the figure itself and a neat quote from the show. The figure slides out by the top or bottom flap and comes tied into an inner plastic tray. And it is actually tied in place with a thin string - very difficult to untie so I'd recommend scissors. The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver sits to the side under a piece of sellotape. We have had 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi) figures before in a variety of different colour shirts. This 2017 release however is a brand new sculpt for Capaldi and while not perfect, it is a closer likeness than we've had in the past. The sculpt remains a bit soft and the basic paint job doesn't help this. The hair in particular is very heavy handed with a dark grey coating and then almost silver highlights The outfit is an update with the hoodie over a patterned t-shirt. The original press photos made the hoodie look quite plain, but in hand there is a lot more detail in the outfit. The coat is the first piece and is coloured in a dark grey with black buttons. Under this we have a green hooded jumper, this is seen via the hood which is folded down behind the head. We see some more of the jumper towards the waist where it reappears from under the coat with the zip in place. And beneath this is a black t-shirt with white spots. The trousers are a plain grey and then the ankle boots a nice gloss black with grey sole section. Other sculpted details includes the ring on the Doctor's left hand If like me you are a collector of these figures you will know the articulation is a little behind the times. The Doctor actually has 18 points of articulation, but the joints themselves are quite rudimentary and dated. We start with the head which is sculpted and cast as a head and neck that is then plugged into the torso, this means it only rotates. The shoulders are a form of ball joint and unlike many Who figures the arms can be extended out to the side as well as rotated. There is then a bicep swivel which allows rotation of the arm, although as you do this you do ruin the loo of the arm and it looks quite odd. The elbows are a single joint with a very visible peg round the side. The hands are pegged like the head and rotate too. Under the shirt section is a waist swivel which will allow the torso to rotate. The legs then have a T-joint which means the hips can swing out to the front or to the side. A similar swivel exists on the thigh to rotate the legs, this is less intrusive than the bicep being covered by the coat tails. The knees are a single joint and the ankles are joined where the boots meet the trousers - allowing a rotation but not a more modern rocker type joint. While being basic the joints are all quite tight and the Doctor stands perfectly well. Another update for the 12th Doctor this time round is his Sonic Screwdriver. This is now the bulkier silver and blue version and it is a very well done piece considering the size of the thing - less than 25mm. It is cast in a softer plastic and is painted silver. We then have two shades o f blue a well as bronze - each well defined and with no slop or paint bleed. The Screwdriver fits into the right hand for posing. Scale has always been an issue for the Doctor Who line, and this figure is no different. The 5.5" inch was "launched" in 2015 and at that point we got a number of variant 12th Doctors. Roll on to this 2017 release - also in the 5.5" scale and also of the same Doctor - and he now stands a good half inch taller, 5 and 3/4 inches overall. It is fantastic to see that Character are still giving us new Doctor Who figures, even if they are few and far between. This brand new sculpt is an improvement in all areas from its predecessors including the new sonic screwdriver. The paint is basic but neatly applied and the articulation while still dated does enough to pose the figure. He also won't look out of place with any other figure which of course now date back 12 years to 2006. The original £14.99 price felt about right for the figure, considering we pay £9.99 now for a 5 POA Star Wars figure. The price actually then dropped further to £12.99 so a bargain for those who snapped him up while he was fully available. I score the 12th Doctor (2017 release) a solid 4 out of 5.

"Ladies and gentleman, we've been to the past, we've been to the future." The team at Incendium are expanding their 5 inch collectors series of Bill & Ted figures with two new figures from the 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. The figures are of the titular characters Bill & Ted (or is it the evil robot us's). They will include a custom guitar, sunglasses and a swap out hand for guitar playing. The images (as below) are digital sculpts at the moment. You can pre-order the figures now from Incendium at $29.95 each, There is no due date as yet, these are pretty much produced to order and I'd expect a very late 2020 or early 2021 estimate on their arrival. Don't Be Bogus, help Bill & Ted save the future! Travel through time with these two most triumphant figures. FigBiz officially licensed action figures are the perfect addition to any collection, inspired by the ultimate era of Saturday morning cartoons! Accessories Include: Custom Guitar Sunglasses Alternate Picking Hand Fig Biz Clear Base 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,

Lando Calrissian, in his Cloud City garb and cape, was released in the Spring of 2020 on special Kenner inspired vintage cardbacks to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. This sub-line of the 6 inch Star Wars Black Series started in 2017 with the 40th Anniversary of A New Hope, and the 2020 line continues the design with a number of new characters and figures on these gorgeous vintage cards. Lando Calrissian is part of Wave 2 which also includes the Tie Fighter Pilot, Luke Skywalker Snowspeeder Pilot, Hoth Rebel Trooper and R2-D2 Dagobah. Packaging 4/5 The packaging for Lando is a scaled up, but pretty faithful, recreation of the original 1980 figure. It comes with the Empire Strikes Back logo and the tramline border. The card uses the same concerned looking Lando image as the 1980 original, which really builds on the nostalgia for those of us who can remember this figure from 40 years ago. To the top left of the card is a new addition of the foil 40th Anniversary logo for The Empire Strikes Back. The card even uses the Kenner logo bottom right, with no mention of Hasbro or Disney until the back of the card. The card back is also a replication of the 1980's versions, with the other figures from the wave displayed in varying character specific colour boxes. Beneath this is the 40th Anniversary text which is generic to all card backs. There is no character unique text. "Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back with figures from The Black Series, featuring classic design and packaging" The only downside of a card of this nature is damage, particularly if these are bought from physical stores rather than specialist retailers. Even fresh out of the cast there is a slight bend on the card. Paint & Sculpt 3/5 This Lando figure, in his Cloud City outfit, was first released in the main Black Series line in 2017. This is essentially the exact same figure, only this time round the face decor has been done using face print technology. The result is a much more natural looking Lando and a much better likeness to Billy Dee Williams. The big difference is in the eyes, and there is then better definition to the face sculpt with the subtle shading of the lines of the face. The moustache is better finished, looking natural with hair texture visible rather than being a painted line. The face even looks "cocky" and "smug", just right for Lando. There is an issue with the hair line which is not painted at the back on the reverse side, which I know is tricky. It leaves an ugly exposed skin coloured piece when the head is turned. I also ended up with a black smudge on the ear where the hair paint had dripped. The costume remains as was, with a blue shirt tucked into a wider belt and darker blue trousers. These are cast in base colours with no other paint apps aside a trim to the shirt collar and cuff. The cape is removable, and is a relatively hard plastic piece that holds its shape to be draped over Lando's shoulder. The benefit of this over soft goods is control of the look, the disadvantage is the impact it has over posing - trapping some movement of Lando's arms behind the cape when it is being worn. The cape is cast in blue plastic, which has some give to it. The inner lining has texture built into the sculpt to reflect the pattern, and this is then painted a vibrant gold that extends to the trim. The collar is painted a mat black. There are paint issues here too, with the black not covering the whole collar and gold smudging and bleeding onto the blue at the front. Without the cape the figure looks a little out of proportion. Comparing the figure to the few shots in Empire where the cape is not worn it may be because the shirt is not baggy and flowing enough and the belt is sitting too high. I suspect few people will display Lando without his cape. Accessories 4/5 Lando is armed with the DH-17 blaster, identical to the original release. It is cast in black with a very good level of detail despite its size - including a defined scope and trigger. The barrel is then painted in silver. As usual it fits into the right hand where a trigger finger can slot into place. When not in use it will have to go in a spares box or similar as Lando has no holster. The blaster can be secreted under the cape in his hand for posing. Lando also comes with his communicator. This is a tiny piece and while it can go in both hands it is more secure in the right - although that grip remains quite loose, more so than the original release. The piece itself is also detailed for its size and is coloured in silver, gold and black which is impressive. The gold is lighter on this release s the 2017 version. Articulation 3/5 Lando has a total of 16 points of articulation, the same as the original 2017 release which is obvious considering the body is the same. The neck does have the pivot joint in the neck, but unlike other figures with this joint it sits high enough on Lando so not to be visible. This does then restrict the head a little so it only really rotates and can't look up and down by any useable degree. Head : ball joint neck with pivot Body : ball joint waist Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rockers Without the cape, these all work and articulate very well with no obvious obstructions. Each joint is tight and secure. Lando stands perfectly well on his own accord. Replace the cape and this will now restrict movement. Arms can be moved outside the cape, but it does push it to the side and this can start to look less natural in the way it hangs. Summary Lando was certainly in need of an update to face print technology, particularly with the other main Bespin players having had the same. He is also a good fit for 40th Anniversary celebration line, a fitting tribute to the original 1980's figure. There are a few issues, mainly dating back to the original sculpt with the body shape seemingly off with the very high beltline - and the cape which may or may not have been better as a soft goods option. That all being said, the face print update makes this a much more attractive figure that can hold its own with the newer releases - demonstrating how good the original sculpt was. Accessories are fairly standard, and in keeping with the character and the articulation does its job. I score the 40th Anniversary Lando Calrissian an above average 3 out of 5. See More Star Wars Black Series figures 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, star wars, black series, empire strikes back, dagobah, 40th anniversary, hasbro, bespin, lando calrissian

I do find behind the scenes information very interesting, and following the Character Options announcement this week for more Doctor Who Sets going into B&M stores the team behind some of the sculpts shared some new images of the scults in progress. The Affable Design Company (give them a follow on Facebook) were responsible for the sculpts of Sergeant Benton, Captain Yates and the Romana II figure. Check out the digital renders below. 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,