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#GeekIsolation Day 7 While it is Day 7 of UK lockdown, I have now been working at home for over 3-weeks and it is starting to take its toll. It is amazing how much you do take things for granted, like popping to the shops, going for a meal or even a sneaky pint at the pub. I am trying to use my daily exercise "release" to get plenty of fresh air, but this too is disconcerting with roads deserted and the town quiet and eerie. I am doing my best to publish one new review a day to keep up with content for our followers to read, and there has also been a bit of an uplift in news this week after quite a barren run. You can checkout this week's news summary in SatTOYday Issue 118. Disney+ is proving a great distraction, and my son and I are 14 episodes into a full re-watch of Star Wars The Clone Wars. We also caught up on Toy Story 4 (love the cameo from a couple of Kenner figures) and have watched the first two episodes of the Mandalorian Tips... 1. Hasbro are giving fans the first 15 episodes of G.I.Joe free of charge on their YouTube channel. I've linked in the first one below. 2. If you have a Ghostbusters mad child who has an upcoming birthday under lockdown, you might want to check out Birthday Busters on Facebook - another example of the community coming together to help each other. Covid-19 guidance from the UK Government

Jon Snow was released in 2019 as part of the first wave of Game of Thrones 6 inch scale action figures from McFarlane. The wave was based on the final season with figures of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark and the Night King. Packaging 2/5 McFarlane have chosen a clamshell design for the Game of Thrones figures with a card sandwiched between the two halves of the blister to create the figure backdrop on one side, and the card back on the other. The GoT logo sits in a further insert at the front of the blister at the figures feet, while the character name sits in a sideways orientated panel half way up the right hand side. The text you can see is not character bio or anything exciting and is instead a warning that reads... "The Game of Thrones television series is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 18" Above the nameplate is a circular panel which contains the same dragon symbol of House Targaryen as Daenerys. This is a very obvious oversight, considering Arya Stark has the wolf head of House Stark. McFarlane would have been better ditching this part of the packaging, as seen on the Night King, if they were not going to be robust about accuracy. Round the back of the box is a checklist of the other figures in the wave although this has been done side on rather than on the same orientation as the box? Paint & Sculpt 2/5 In hand the likeness to actor Kit Harington is there - sort of - it is buried however under some awful face painting. The eyes and eyebrows are all over the place, the lips too red and painted to look pursed and the beard too patchy. The hair is well executed with a lot of sculpted design into the tied knot at the back and how it bunches out from the tied piece. The head is also quite small for the rest of the figure, another case of proportional issues for McFarlane. The body is actually well done, starting with the armour around the neck and chest with the double wolf head icons sculpted into the piece. Jon is wearing a thick padded Gambeson, and this is textured with a diagonal design. The arms are a differing pattern, and colour, to the body. The belt is tied around the waist with a silver painted buckle and silver buttons down to the end piece. The legs are quite plain with brown basic boots finishing Jon's ensemble. Accessories 2/5 Jon comes with his sword, Long Claw. This is cast in a hard plastic and is featureless. The wolf head is a blob with a mouth that is painted dirty grey and not the white bone we see in the show. The paint doesn't even cover the full pommel. The blade in the show carries inscription, but McFarlane have just painted a plain grey stripe down the centre of the silver blade. I appreciate that details at this scale are difficult, but Funko already nailed this sword in the 6 inch scale back in 2014 with their Jon Snow figure and this McFarlane version is a poor imitation. It even arrives bent, and being a hard plastic it cant be straightened properly under heat. The second accessory is much better. The dragonglass dagger is done in a similar way to the Night King's weapons - being case in a translucent plastic with paint around the grip. If you compared the two weapons side by side you may think they were from different lines considering the gulf in quality and finish. Jon's hands are very stiff and not very pliable which makes getting the weapons into a grip very difficult. There will be a lot of broken Long Claw's out there if collectors are not careful and take their time teasing the grip open. There is no scabbard for the sword, but both sword and dagger can be slipped into Jon's belt if you wish. The lack of a scabbard is another disappointment. And as is the norm for McFarlane figures, a stand is also included. This is circular and cast in gloss black with a white Game of Thrones logo. There is a single peg that corresponds to a hole in the figures right foot. The stand works well although the fit is not particularly tight. Jon does OK on his own without the stand, but there are issues in the ankle joints which will leave Jon toppling over - stand or no stand. Articulation 3/5 Jon comes with a total of 14 points of articulation. This is about standard for the line, and for similar figures like the Harry Potter line or those from Call of Duty Head : ball joint neck Body : waist swivel Arms : shoulder pinned pivot, single jointed rotating elbow, ball joint wrist Legs : hip pinned pivot, single jointed rotating knee, ankle rocker Posing in the arms is OK, but there is not enough scope to have Jon hold Long Claw in both hands in a fighting pose. The waist joint is not easy to engage being hidden under the outer garments. The legs too are hidden behind the skirt sections, but can be posed out into fighting stances, with the skirt section moving with the legs thanks to the rubbery material used. The ankles are quite loose and the figure suffers from stability issues if not balanced quite right. Even with the stand he has a habit of toppling forward. And if he does take a shelf dive then that hard plastic on the figure and accessories will not survive a fall too well. Summary Once again a McFarlane release suffers from proportional issues this time a small head with attorcious paint apps. The body is good and articulation is passable for a figure of this price point. The accessories are in two different leagues with an excellent Dragon Glass dagger and a terrible, and bent, approximation of Long Claw with no scabbard. I score Jon Snow a below average, and disappointing, 2 stars out of 5. See More Game of Thrones Action 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 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, mcfarlane, game of thrones, jon snow, house stark, king in the north, long claw, dragon glass

In October 2018 it was announced that McFarlane Toys had agreed a licencing deal with HBO to produce action figures from their hit series Game of Thrones. The first wave of figures arrived on store shelves in the Spring of 2019 and were made up of characters from the final season of the show - Daenerys Targaryen, The Night King, Arya Stark and Jon Snow. Packaging 3/5 In a world of window box collectors figures, McFarlane have gone with a more traditional blister box. This has the benefit of taking up less shelf space, but for collectors it is a boxed or loose one shot deal as the pack has to be cut to get the figure out and there is no option for it to go back in. The backing card, sandwiched between the blister, is red trimmed with a gold backdrop. The character name sits to the side of the figure and next to his is an image of the Iron Throne and what I originally thought was some cool character background text - turns out it is a multi-lingual language warning that the series is not for children, so therefore neither are the figures. Bit of a waste and this might have been best served on the back of the box. The back of the box is also very odd as it is on its side. You have to turn it 90 degrees to see the other figures in the line on a pale backdrop. Paint & Sculpt 5+/5 Packaging aside, and the Night King is absolutely stunning. The sculpt is top notch and a fantastic likeness to the Night King from season 8 perfectly capturing that disinterested look he carries in most scenes. Brilliant! The paint is just as good with a blue skin tone further enhanced with lighter dry-brushing as well as some darker washes, particularly shading the unnatural piercing blue eyes. The costume is a dark grey gunmetal armoured affair with a softer plastic skirt area. Like the skin tone this has a number of layers of paint on top of the base coat with a finished look that does make the armour look both worn and snow weathered. The figure is made at 6 inch scale, an inch shorter than the usual McFarlane figures. The genius move in this scale choice is that the figure is a good match to the previously released Funko 6 inch Game of Thrones figures - and side by side they look very similar. Accessories 2/5 The Night King is armed with two weapons. The first is an ice sword/spear, a large brown handle section with flayed tassel pieces and topped with a translucent ice blade. As far as I can remember the Night King didn't really wield a weapon like this - and while it is similar, it is not the same as the spear that took down the dragon Viserion. The second weapon is the curved blade that the Night King does use in Season 8. This also has a light brown handle with sculpted tassel and a curved translucent blade. Both weapons are a little soft in the sculpt, the tassels for example are very undefined and splodgy. The painting on these is also poor and while the ice blades are well done - the weapons look like they are from a much cheaper line of toys vs the hugely impressive figure that wields them. They do fit neatly into either hand of the Night King and he can also achieve some two handed poses with them. There is no rear sheath for him to sheath the sword which would have been a nice touch. The figure also comes with a stand, and it good to see McFarlane have used the circular Star Trek type base and not the clunky ones they had been putting with their Color Top figures. The stand has one peg which lines up with a single hole in the Night Kings right foot. The fit is tight and the stand holds the figure well. There is a very crisp white Game of Thrones logo on the stand. Articulation 3/5 Our Night King weighs in with 16 points of articulation Head : neck peg swivel Body : waist swivel Arms : shoulder pinned pivot, bicep swivel, single jointed elbow, pivot wrist Legs : hip pinned pivot, single jointed knee, ankle rocker The joints are not quite as crisp or mobile as say a Hasbro or Mattel figure. They use a pinned peg option on most joints, which does leave the peg visible either side of the joint. The head and waist simply rotate, there is no other movement. Arms are much better and have a full range of motion at the shoulder, but the single elbows mean there is some restriction to action poses with or without the weapons. The legs can get some wider stances and can bend at the knee, but the skirt makes most poses outside neutral stances difficult. The ankle rockers are quite wide ranging, but they are quite loose and without the stand the Night King is prone to toppling forward, especially as the hips are also loose - even on the stand he does start to do a Michael Jackson lean after a while. Summary I have not seen a better looking figure in 6 inch scale for some time, the finish on the Night King is absolutely top notch and as the pictures below show he looks brilliant. Sadly the articulation and accessories don't quite match up, and I am not overly impressed with the packaging choice especially when the market in the main is moving to a window box - the line would look awesome packed like the Fortnite figures for example. Balancing out the 5+ looks with the average articulation and accessories, I score the Night King a 4 out of 5 and for me he is certainly the standout from the first wave of GoT from McFarlane. See More McFarlane Action Figures

Daenerys Targaryen was released in 2019 as part of the first wave of Game of Thrones 6 inch scale action figures from McFarlane. The wave was based on the final season with figures of Daenerys, Jon Snow, Arya Stark and the Night King. Packaging 3/5 McFarlane have chosen a clamshell design for the Game of Thrones figures with a card sandwiched between the two halves of the blister to create the figure backdrop on one side, and the card back on the other. The GoT logo sits in a further insert at the front of the blister at the figures feet, while the character name sits in a sideways orientated panel half way up the right hand side. The text you can see is not character bio or anything exciting and is instead a warning that reads... "The Game of Thrones television series is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 18" Above the nameplate is a circular panel containing the dragon symbol for House Targaryen. Round the back of the box is a checklist of the other figures in the wave although this has been done side on rather than on the same orientation as the box? Paint & Sculpt 2/5 The likeness to Emilia Clarke is OK, and it is pretty well painted with natural looking blue eyes and shading and blusher around the eyes. The head is quite large and if you put her next to Jon Snow (see image a bit further down) the head for Daenerys is significantly larger. It is almost like a 7 inch scale head on a 6 inch scale body. The hair piece is very well done with intricate braids and strands down either side of the face and down the back. The costume is a sculpted rubbery dress over an articulated body and while it is a good reflection of Daenerys's outfit from Season 8, it still hangs a little odd. There is a simple barbed chain across one shoulder, painted in silver and this holds a dragon scale cloak over the right shoulder. The finish on this cloak is very well done including shading between each scale. Accessories 2/5 Daenerys comes with three map markers as accessories, one for each of her armies - the Unsullied, The Dothraki and the Sunspear marker for Dorne. These are detailed and even have a carved look about them. They are a bit larger than they would be in reality. They can be held by Daenerys or would look great on a scratch built map diorama. What is odd, and a shame, is the lack of a Dragon map marker considering how important they are to Daenerys and to Season 8 overall. And as is the norm for McFarlane figures, a stand is also included. This is circular and cast in gloss black with a white Game of Thrones logo. There is a single peg that corresponds to a hole in the figures right foot. The stand works well although the fit is not particularly tight. Daenerys does stand well on her own without the stand so it is not crucial for display, Articulation 1/5 Daenerys carries the least articulation of any of the McFarlane GoT figues with a total of 13 workable joints. There may be a 14th in the waist under the dress, but this is not useable. Head : ball joint neck Body : nil Arms : shoulder pinned pivot, single jointed rotating elbow, ball joint wrist Legs : hip pinned pivot, single jointed rotating knee, ankle rocker Posing is limited mainly to the arms which are thankfully pretty mobile. The head can be posed, but has a habit of defaulting to a position where Daenerys is looking down and this can be frustrating. The ankles feel OK and the figure stands well enough out of the pack, but they are not ratcheted so over time this will cause stability issues - even with the stand. Summary Once again a McFarlane release suffers from proportional issues with a large head out of scale to the rest of the body - and this is a shame as the head is not too bad considering face print technology is not in use with these figures. Articulation is limited and there are issues in the joints we do get with the head defaulting to a chin on chest position over time. Paint apps are good and the cloak in particular is very impressive. I score the Daenerys Targaryen Game of Thrones figure a below average 2 out of 5. See More Game of Thrones Action 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 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, mcfarlane, game of thrones, daenerys targaryen, mother of dragons,

The Second Sister, from the 2019 EA video game Jedi Fallen Order, was released on the 4th October 2019 - Triple Force Friday. She was part of wave 22 of the Star Wars Black Series alongside Cal Kestis, the main character from the game, as well as figures from The Mandalorian and Episode 9 The Rise of Skywalker. We compare the standard and carbonized editions through this review, but you can click through for the full Carbonized release review. Packaging 4/5 Wave 22 is a continuation of the black and red wave 3 packaging. The Second Sister is release 95 in this 3rd phase and as usual the numbering is shown on the bright red side spine as well as on the rear of the box. The character is named as The Second Sister Inquisitor, adding her role within the Empire to the character name. She is illustrated, as usual, with Gregory Titus art work of her sleek helmet. And under this is the logo for EA's Jedi Fallen Order. While no other Black Series releases carry any form of logo for the movie or series in which they appear, we assume the inclusion of this logo is part of the licencing agreement between Lucasfilm, Hasbro and EA. The logo is repeated on the back of the box along with a larger version of the Titus artwork and a very short piece of non spoilery text about the Second Sister. "A vengeful warrior of the Empire tasked with tracking down Jedi survivors, the Second Sister Inquisitor is driven by her all encompassing hatred of the Order." On unpacking the figure I found elasticated ties back in use - something I hadn't seen on the range for a while. The figure is also packed with the cape slid through the plastic tray and out the back. Removing it is tricky as it drags the cape through a relatively sharp plastic edge and if you are not careful your do risk scratching the inner red paint work or the two Imperial shoulder decals. The standard Second Sister arrives in the Phase 3 black packaging with red side spine and figure backdrop. Apart from the circular insert and the colours, the boxes are identical in dimensions, wording and layout. Paint & Sculpt 3/5 The Second Sister is an imposing figure out of the box, with a brilliant recreation of that angular and menacing helmet she dons in the game. The helmet is cast in a gloss black plastic with the visor section painted in red. The body borrows elements from Imperial Officers and includes a tunic, long sleeved gloves and boots. The body is cast in a dark grey and is highlighted with a red stripe down the arms and legs and with silver panels on the chest section. The boots and gloves are black gloss to match the helmet. The Inquisitor wears a skirt section which is cast as a separate piece in a softer plastic. This includes a belt with bright silver buckle. It i shere the painting gets messy as the skirt is meant to have a crisp red lining and a line to differentiate where the black outer area begins. This is poorly painted with the red bleeding over the moulded line where the colour should stop and makes the whole hem section look patchy. The Second Sister also comes with a full length cape. This is cast in a softer plastic rather than soft goods. It is cast in black with the red lining painted. Again this line between red and black is messy, but is hidden more than the skirt by the way the cape wraps around the figure. The cape is finished by two Imperial logo's on each shoulder - applied as decals. The cape sits on the figures shoulders with two plugs on the cape sitting into two sockets on the figures shoulder. The paint difference between both Second Sister versions is clear on these side to side images. The Carbonized version has clear metallic shading across everything bar the cloak. The standard version does appear to have neater decals. Accessories 2/5 If you choose to display your Second Sister without her cape - most likely for more dynamic poses - then you will find two small shoulder segments included in the set for this configuration. Each gloss black piece slots into the same holes as used by the cape, hiding the hole and finishing the shoulders. With these in place the Inquisitor is just as imposing. There is a problem though, in that the fit on these shoulder segments is poor. They do not stay in position very well - popping out with the slightest of arm movement or when the figure is moved or posing. It is all very frustrating after a while, and I would imagine many collectors will simply leave the figure displayed in her cape. Why Hasbro couldn't have dispensed with this particularly fiddly setup and simply glued these pieces in place and then given her a soft good cape as has been done with recent figures such as the new Palpatine, Mace Windu and the Jawa from the same wave? There is no difference in the shoulder pieces between the Carbonized and Standard releases. This is a shame as to match the rest of the outfit the Carbonized figure shoulders should be metallic graphite grey. The more traditional accessory is the Inquisitors weapon. This is the circular mounted double lightsaber, as previously seen in Star Wars Rebels. The hilt is cast in black with silver detail added around the rim of the circle and the two emitters. Red paint has been added to the centre piece to represent switches or lights. There is no belt socket or hook to hang the saber hilt when not in use. Like all Black Series sabers, the Inquisitors weapon has blades that can be removed allowing you to display the figure with just the hilt, or with one or both blades lit. Each blade is cast in a harder translucent red plastic with a plug on the end that snaps into the hilt. While previous sabers in the line have been a good tight fit, this one is particularly poor and neither blade slots securely into place. The wobble considerably and it is diffucut to get a clear horizontal line - as would happen if the saber was lit - and instead we are left with a sagging blade on either side. For those who are wondering, there is no belt socket or hook to hang the saber hilt when not in use. Oddly, the figure has a trigger finger hand for her right hand, as though she should be holding a blaster rather than a saber. The left hand is more of a traditional saber hand. I wonder if either the figure was going to come with blaster at some point, or if the hand is reused from another female figure that I cannot as yet put my finger on. Both hands are difficult to prize open to get the saber hilt posed, the left more so than the right. The standard saber has a darker silver ring and slightly darker blades. These blades are poor fitting and sag away from the main body. The Carbonize dual saber is a much nicer piece. Articulation 4/5 Our Second Sister is well articulated and is quite poseable once her cape has been removed - with 16 points of articulation in total. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : waist ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker On arrival the ankle rockers were fused on my figure and she had to have a hot water bath to get them moving. Each joint, once freed, has a full range of motion - the legs being a little restricted by the skirt, but not by much. The waist feels like a ball joint more than just a swivel, but it seems to be restricted somehow and while it can lean forward and backward it doesn't hold the position and springs back to neutral? She would benefit from double jointed elbows for fighting poses, but that is something not really offered in the Black Series line, and what we do get does work for a number of lightsaber poses. As I talked about earlier, the biggest frustration when posing without the cape will be those shoulder panels pinging off in every direction at the slightest movement. Summary The Second Sister is a good looking figure, well sculpted but poorly painted - particularly as the figure is predominantly cast in her final colouration and the messy red is about the only colour applied on the whole body. The cape works, but the shoulder panels for the uncloaked version are frustrating. The lightsaber too isn't well executed and suffers from saggy blades that do not hold a true line out from the hilt. While articulation is standard, the waist is restricted somehow and with only single joint elbows weapons posing is not as great as it could be. I score the Second Sister, from Jedi Fallen Order, a 3 out of 5. See More Star Wars Black Series Figures

The Second Sister, from the 2019 EA video game Jedi Fallen Order, was released on the 4th October 2019 - Triple Force Friday. Two versions were released, a standard version in wave 22 and this Exclusive Carbonized version with special metallic packaging and paint job. In the UK this figure was exclusive to Diamond Comic Distributors and in the US it was exclusive to Gamestop. We compare the standard and carbonized editions through this review, but you can click through for the full general release review. Packaging 4/5 The Carbonized version uses the same layout and design as the Wave 22 version. The black is replaced with a metallic graphite grey and the red side spine with a darker metallic red. The number, 95, remains the same. There is one difference on the front of the box with an insert built into the packaging to the right of the window that identifies this as a Carbonized release. The character is named as The Second Sister Inquisitor, adding her role within the Empire to the character name. She is illustrated, as usual, with Gregory Titus art work of her sleek helmet. And under this is the logo for EA's Jedi Fallen Order. While no other Black Series releases carry any form of logo for the movie or series in which they appear, we assume the inclusion of this logo is part of the licencing agreement between Lucasfilm, Hasbro and EA. The artwork and logo's do look more pronounced on the Carbonized box. Being metallic the box is more prone to marks, dings and shelf wear so if you are keeping it boxed then treat it carefully. The logo is repeated on the back of the box along with a larger version of the Titus artwork and a very short piece of non spoilery text about the Second Sister. "A vengeful warrior of the Empire tasked with tracking down Jedi survivors, the Second Sister Inquisitor is driven by her all encompassing hatred of the Order." While the other Carbonized figures had a metallic backing card for the figure, the Second Sister has the same red as the main line figure with no metallic tint. The figure is also packed with the cape slid through the plastic tray and out the back. Removing it is tricky as it drags the cape through a relatively sharp plastic edge and if you are not careful your do risk scratching the inner red paint work or the two Imperial shoulder decals. The standard Second Sister arrives in the Phase 3 black packaging with red side spine and figure backdrop. Apart from the circular insert and the colours, the boxes are identical in dimensions, wording and layout. Paint & Sculpt 3/5 The Second Sister is an imposing figure out of the box, with a brilliant recreation of that angular and menacing helmet she dons in the game. The helmet is cast in a gloss black plastic with a graphite metallic shading over the top. The body borrows elements from Imperial Officers and includes a tunic, long sleeved gloves and boots. The body is cast in a dark grey with a brushed steel finish and is highlighted with a red stripe down the arms and legs and with silver panels on the chest section. The boots and gloves are a darker metallic graphite to match the helmet. The Inquisitor wears a skirt section which is cast as a separate piece in a softer plastic. This includes a belt with bright silver buckle. Like the rest of the body, this skirt has a metallic finish and comes with a red trim. This is where the painting gets messy as the line is poorly painted with the red bleeding over the moulded line where the colour should stop and makes the whole hem section look patchy. The Second Sister also comes with a full length cape. This is cast in a softer plastic rather than soft goods. It is cast in black with the red lining painted. The lining is metallic red while the outer cape area remains black and is no different to the standard release. Again this line between red and black is messy, but is hidden more than the skirt by the way the cape wraps around the figure. The cape is finished by two Imperial logos on each shoulder - applied as decals - and very poorly too with lots of white missing and both sides looking sloppy. The cape sits on the figures shoulders with two plugs on the cape sitting into two sockets on the figures shoulder. The paint difference between both Second Sister versions is clear on these side to side images. The Carbonized version has clear metallic shading across everything bar the cloak. The standard version does appear to have neater decals. The figure looks great with the full line up of Carbonized Exclusives - from right to left, The Mandalorian, The Second Sister, Sith Trooper and First Order Jet Trooper. Accessories 3/5 If you choose to display your Second Sister without her cape - most likely for more dynamic poses - then you will find two small shoulder segments included in the set for this configuration. Each gloss black piece slots into the same holes as used by the cape, hiding the hole and finishing the shoulders. With these in place the Inquisitor is just as imposing. There is a problem though, in that the fit on these shoulder segments is poor. They do not stay in position very well - popping out with the slightest of arm movement or when the figure is moved or posing. It is all very frustrating after a while, and I would imagine many collectors will simply leave the figure displayed in her cape. Why Hasbro couldn't have dispensed with this particularly fiddly setup and simply glued these pieces in place and then given her a soft good cape as has been done with recent figures such as the new Palpatine, Mace Windu and the Jawa from the same wave? There is no difference in the shoulder pieces between the Carbonized and Standard releases. This is a shame as to match the rest of the outfit the Carbonized figure shoulders should be metallic graphite grey. The more traditional accessory is the Inquisitors weapon. This is the circular mounted double lightsaber, as previously seen in Star Wars Rebels. The hilt is cast in black with silver detail added around the rim of the circle and the two emitters. Red paint has been added to the centre piece to represent switches or lights. There is no belt socket or hook to hang the saber hilt when not in use. Like all Black Series sabers, the Inquisitors weapon has blades that can be removed allowing you to display the figure with just the hilt, or with one or both blades lit. Each blade is cast in a harder translucent red plastic with a plug on the end that snaps into the hilt. The standard version did have poor fitting blades for the lightsaber. They appear much more straight and secure on the Carbonized version - although I appreciate that may simply be individual variances out of the factory. For those who are wondering, there is no belt socket or hook to hang the saber hilt when not in use. Oddly, the figure has a trigger finger hand for her right hand, as though she should be holding a blaster rather than a saber. The left hand is more of a traditional saber hand. I wonder if either the figure was going to come with blaster at some point, or if the hand is reused from another female figure that I cannot as yet put my finger on. Both hands are difficult to prize open to get the saber hilt posed, the left more so than the right. The standard saber has a darker silver ring and slightly darker blades. These blades are poor fitting and sag away from the main body. The Carbonize dual saber is a much nicer piece. Articulation 4/5 Our Second Sister is well articulated and is quite poseable once her cape has been removed - with 16 points of articulation in total. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : waist ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker I had an issue on the standard release with fused ankle rockers, and the Carbonized version has the identical problem as they arrived fused. Like the standard release, she had to have a hot water bath to get them moving. Each joint, once freed, has a full range of motion - the legs being a little restricted by the skirt, but not by much. The waist feels like a ball joint more than just a swivel, but it seems to be restricted somehow and while it can lean forward and backward it doesn't hold the position and springs back to neutral? She would benefit from double jointed elbows for fighting poses, but that is something not really offered in the Black Series line, and what we do get does work for a number of lightsaber poses. As I talked about earlier, the biggest frustration when posing without the cape will be those shoulder panels pinging off in every direction at the slightest movement. Summary The Second Sister is a good looking figure, well sculpted but poorly painted - particularly as the figure is predominantly cast in her final colouration and the messy red is about the only colour applied on the whole body. The cape works, but the shoulder panels for the uncloaked version are frustrating. The Carbonized version offers a more exclusive box design, but the finish on the figure remains poor and like most of the figures who have had the Carbonized treatment, I prefer the more screen accurate standard release. While articulation is standard, the waist is restricted somehow and with only single joint elbows weapons posing is not as great as it could be. I score the Second Sister, Carbonized Exclusive from Jedi Fallen Order, a 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, hasbro, star wars, black series, second sister, carbonized, exclusive, jedi, fallen order

The next Alien release from NECA will be a Kenner inspiired Rhino Alien, and NECA have revealed the packaging for the figure. Like Predator, NECA are moving away from traditional 3-figure waves with Aliens to more standalone releases, and the Rhino is the first of these. Due to the size and bulk of the figure he will be boxed in a design similar to the Ultimate figure releases, with a closed box design but with opening front flap to reveal the figure underneath. The box uses the retro Kenner 1990's design with the front artwork recreating the original blister for the Kenner figure with the Rhino in his circular blister. The back of the box carries a checlist of NECA Kenner Alien and Predator releases to date. The Rhino is scheduled as an April 2020 release, the current global COVID-19 lockdown may see delays to this in some territories. 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, aliens, neca, alien, kenner, rhino

Hasbro confirmed 3 of their new 6 inch G.I. Joe Classified Series figures at New York Toy Fair, with figures of Duke, Scarlett and Raodblock revealed. These were part of wave 1 and there were obvious gaps in the wave with more figures to reveal. The first of those has been unveiled today on National Joe Day, and it is Destro - as has long been rumoured. "COBRAAAAAAA! March 27th is #NationalJoeDay, and #HasbroPulse is celebrating by revealing the brand new G.I. Joe Classified Series Destro Figure! This figure is a must-have for any G.I. Joe collection, with multiple points of articulation, premium character- inspired design, and accessories! Even cooler, check out the epic custom packaging artwork by artist Oliver Barrett. The G.I. Joe Classified Series Destro Figure is available now for pre-order on Hasbro Pulse!" Destro will come with two weapons and his Cobra briefcase. The briefcase opens up to reveal both a computer and bundles of cash inside. He is packed in a window box with character art by Oliver Barrett. He is scheduled for a June release and can be preordered now at Hasbro Pulse (US only) and the UK specialist retailers. There is a 5th figure still to unveil in the line. This is most likely going to be the standard release of Snake Eyes, but we await confirmation. G.I. Joe is a highly skilled, on-demand, special operations force of men and women from around the globe. These extraordinarily talented heroes are selected for their elite abilities and tasked with defending the world from Cobra, a ruthless criminal organization bent on total domination. With unwavering courage and steely determination, the brave members of G.I. Joe are prepared to seek out Cobra in any environment on the planet. From hostile jungles to ice-clad arctic peaks…wherever there’s trouble, G.I. Joe is there. This Destro figure comes ready for action, with multiple points of articulation for high poseability and character-inspired accessories, including a golden decoed blaster. And with custom artwork by Oliver Barrett, the G.I. Joe Classified Series Destro package will make a mark on shelves. Includes: G.I. Joe Classified Series Destro action figure and 3 accessories. The G.I. Joe Classified Series evolves the characters fans know and love into a highly articulated 6-inch scale with premium deco and detailing This figure features a classic design updated to bring the Cobra weapons expert into the modern era, plus accessories inspired by the character’s rich history Joining some of the best artists from the world of comics, graphic design in our artist partnership program, Oliver Barrett adds his unique style to the Destro package This G.I. Joe Classified Series Destro figure features premium detailing and articulation for dramatic action poseability. (some poses may require additional support) Look for other 6-inch-scale G.I. Joe Classified Series figures (each sold separately) and build your roster of heroes and villains 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, g.i. joe. classified, hasbro pulse, destro, cobra

SH Figuarts have a number of new 1/12 figures planned for Star Wars Disney+ property, The Mandalorian. The first Mandalorian figure, in his early episode armour, has been confirmed with glam shots and is scheduled for a We also saw figures of IG-11 and the Remnant Biker Scouts & Stormtroopers at Tokyo Comic Con 2019. The following image, which has been shared on social media, shows two new figures in the shape of the Beskar Armour Mandalorian and The Child (Baby Yoda). The listing source has not yet been verified, but this is a listing of September 2020 releases for SH Figuarts. It will be interesting to see how they tackle the Child. The image doesn't look articulated, so it may be a static release in line with the Imperial Royal Guards they did. It would be great to see them include the repulsor-cot and a raft of accessories to accompany Baby Yoda. 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, star wars, disney, mandalorian, the child, baby yoda

Gamestop in the US have updated their site with the details of the new Star Wars Black Series Gaming Greats Stormtrooper Commander action figure - the listing has given us a couple of new promotional images. "Star Wars The Black Series Gaming Greats adds to it's line up with the Force Unleashed Stormtrooper Commander. Standing 6 inches tall the Stormtrooper Commander features weathered paint, game accurate detail and 2 accessories." UK collectors can pre-order this from our friends at Kapow Toys, or your specialist retailer of choice. The figure is down for a May / June release, with the Shadow Stormtrooper scheduled to arrive a bit later in the Summer (July/August). 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, star wars, hasbro, black series, gaming greats, the force unleashed, stormtrooper, commander, exclusive

Zorii Bliss was released in Wave 24 of the Star Wars Black Series in March 2020. She was number 103 in the line's 3rd phase packaging. The rest of the wave included Clone Commander Bly, Count Dooku, Knight of Ren and the Sith Jet Trooper. Packaging 4/5 As we move into 2020 releases there is no change in the phase 3 packaging other than the numbering has moved to 3 digits, meaning a slightly smaller font on the red side spine. The Gregory Titus artwork shows a the angular helmet of Zorii and the top of her shoulder/neck armour. This same image is repeated, as usual, on the reverse with the following text. "It is difficult for scoundrels to remain neutral in the war between First Order and Resistance and Zorii Bliss and the Spice Runners of Kijimi must soon take a side." Paint & Sculpt 5/5 Out of the box and Zorii is a very impressive figure, with a sculpt that has a fantastic likeness to the character we see on screen. The helmet is well propotioned and sculpted with lots of intricate detail at the side panels and at the top. The costume is made up of a deep red jumpsuit, cast in burgundy plastic, and then painted over in parts like the ringlets down each arm and the grey straps and trims on the mid-section and round the leg. Each of these is painted well with no paint issues. Zorii then has her golden collar which is an individual piece, albeit not-removable, cast in dark grey plastic with each panel then painted in gold. The belt is likewise a seperate piece, this time cast in brown with the upper strap of the belt painted gold. Two holsters hang from the belt down either thigh and are attached to the upper leg, lining up with the leg strap sculpt on the upper thigh. Zorii has a pretty cool feature in that the visor of her helmet can be removed revealing her eyes and nose underneath - a nod to what happens in the movie. The mechanism to do this is basically two clips at the side of the visor. It is easiest to remove at one side then unclip the other, but be careful as that will put some stress on one side. The face underneath gets the face print technology and even through only the eyes and the top of the nose are visible, is a good likeness to actor Keri Russell. Like a lot of recent features, like C-3PO's removable head piece, there is no reference to the visor on the packaging. I suspect there will be some fans who buy the figure are will be oblivious to the feature. While I don't want to see "action feature" flashes all over the packaging - it might be cool for Hasbro to include something in the box to highlight the feature. Accessories 5/5 Zorri is armed with a pair of twin blasters. These are the best looking weapons included in a Black Series figure for some time. They are cast in a harder plastic than we have seen and carry a lot of detailing in the sculpt. We then get an amazing paint job on each with a gold grip, gold lining around the barrel and a red indicator at each side above the trigger. The weapons fit into either hand, with a flexible trigger finger on each hand to slot in the trigger. When not in use the two blasters slot into the holsters on each thigh. Articulation 5/5 Zorii has a total of 16 points of articulation, the standard for a Black Series figure. Head : ball joint neck with pivot Body : torso ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbows, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker As Zorii is so slim with no encombaring parts, she is fully mobile - and then some. The head is really mobile and the tilting poses give the figure real character. Even with single joint elbows the arms fold up beyond 90 degrees and the engineering still allows the shoulders to raise fully under the collar section. The legs are fully mobile, with the holsters moving with the legs. Zorii can kneel, and sit as well as a number of standing poses. The feet are cut slightly odd thanks to the design of her boots and a secton at the heel is missing. This can make her a tad unstable if she is leaning back a little way, but other than this she stands perfectly well and each joint is stiff and secure with a satisfying ratchet. Summary Zorii Bliss, for me, is one of the stand out designs in The Rise of Skywalker and a nod back to the Bounty Hunter / Fringe characters of the original Trilogy. The figure recreates this perfectly with a great sculpt, brilliant articulation, great paint job, superb accessories and even a hidden feature with that removable visor. There is very little to fault with the figure, and I score the Star Wars Black Series Zorii Bliss figure full marks of 5 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 Figures) 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, the rise of skywalker, black series, hasbro, zorii bliss, 103

SH Figuarts have released the images and details of their previously teased 1989 Michael Keaton Batman 1/12 action figure. Batman will come with a soft goods leather look cape and what appears to be two facial options. He will be armed with a spear gun, the gauntlet, a batarang and two throwing stars. There is also listed parts for the cape, which I am guessing will be parts to hold it open in the flight pose as per a couple of the images. We will also get a selection of hand options. 1989 Batman is scheduled for a September 2020 release. He will be an exclusive to the Soul Web shop in Japan which will make him harder to pick up outside of Japan. 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, batman, michael keaton, 1989. sh figuarts, tamashii nations, soul store