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After the release of the title character on Triple Force Friday (4th October 2019) and an IG-11 exclusive shortly after, the next release for The Mandalorian Disney+ show was due to be Cara Dune. Instead, this guy surprised us all having been announced and released and on shelves within 2-weeks worldwide. The Heavy Infantry Mandalorian appears in Chapter 3 "The Sin" and has since been named as Paz Vizla and was voiced by showrunner Jon Favreau - a nod to Pre Vizsla, a character he voiced in The Clone Wars. Packaging 4/5 The Heavy Infantry Mandalorian is a Deluxe release, the size reserved for larger figures and aliens. Previous releases have included Moloch and the Gamorrean Guard - who were exclusives - the Heavy Mandalorian is general release and is numbered as D2 in the Deluxe line, following on from D1 earlier this year, General Grievous. The boxes for Deluxe releases are varying and the Mandalorian box is not as deep as previous releases. Aside from the box dimensions the design principles remain the same with a black box and red side spine along with a window displaying the figure against a red backdrop. The figure is named "Heavy Infantry Mandalorian" with no mention front or back of the character name which has since been confirmed. The usual artwork is printed front and back with the rear of the box giving you a better look at the Titus artwork having had a lot of the front illustration cut out by the window. "A brawny warrior encased in the strongest beskar armor, the mysterious Heavy Infantry Mandalorian is part of a secrete enclave of his people. A born survivor, he guards a precious armory and helps keep the flames of Mandalorian heritage flickering in this time of galactic chaos" Paint & Sculpt 5/5 Until the episode we had not really seen a Heavy Mandalorian before. The body and armour are much bulkier than the normal Mandalorian armour as sported by the main character and others in the Saga like Jango and Boba Fett. He is pushing 7 inches in height with the rangefinder on the helmet and is certainly a hefty figure in hand. The Heavy Mando is predominantly blue in colour, with most parts cast in this base colour. Over this we have some lighter blue panels on the hemet as well as silver trim and some silver in two sculpted dents on the forehead. The same applies round the armour with scratches and nicks to make him look battleworn. The wrist flamethrower is a dirty yellow colour and this is washed to dirty it up, the same technique is used on the boots and knee pads. All the paint is applied well with no obvious errors. The figure also has a Mythosaur symbol on its left shoulder, applied neatly too as a decal. Accessories 5/5 The Heavy part of the figure is clear when we look at his weaponry. As seen in the episode, this Mandalorian wields a heavy repeating blaster - along a similar theme to that used by Baze Malbus in Rogue One - which is linked into a Jet Pack via a heavy ammo feeder belt. The gun is full of details and is cast in a dark grey with some silver and blue trim added to the barrel. The jet pack is yellow with silver trim and some dark grey and black to differentiate some of the parts. The jetpack slots into the socket on the Mandalorian's back and the fit is snug. The ammo feeder is flexible enough to snake out and to the front of the figure - either left or right. The heavy blaster has a handle at the back and a further grip halfway up. This second grip is articulated so it can turn to either side of the gun - allowing for left or right handed grips. Like a lot of recent Hasbro figures the hand plastic is very stiff so you might want to warm the hands first to ease the grip onto the weapon. The articulation supports left or right hand grip. There is a small pipe in grey plastic attached to the backpack and this is the feed for the wrist flame-thrower. The end slots into a socket on the back of the wrist section. This fit is not quite as secure and the pipe is not very flexible which means it is hard to get in place and it can pop out too easily when you are posing - best to setup your pose and attach this piece last. And if that wasn't enough, there is even a facility for the Mando to sling his weapon onto his back - and it works much better than the one they used on the main Mandalorian figure. There is a slot on the backpack to the right and this lines up with a peg on the side of the gun to slot it into place. Articulation 5/5 Our Heavy Mandalorian weighs in with an "above standard" 18 points of articulation, and despite his bulk he is pretty poseable - particularly the arms and torso. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : ball joint torso Arms : ball joint shoulder, butterfly shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rockers The addition of the small butterfly joint in the shoulder is what makes the huge difference to weapon posing allowing the arms to swing inwards to the body and obtain the grip on the weapon. The legs may look restricted, but they are fully mobile - your Heavy Mandalorian can kneel (if Mandalorian's do such a thing). All the joints are tight and secure, and the ankles thankfully are well ratcheted and ultra secure to keep such a heavy figure upright Summary The Heavy Mandalorian is a gorgeous figure that faithfully recreates an awesome onscreen character. It does cost between £8 and £10 more than a standard figure but it deserves its deluxe status on its weight, heft, that huge weapon and the subtle addition of the butterfly joints to support the articulation. There is very little to criticise on the figure and to that end I score it a 5 out of 5. See More Star Wars Black Series Figures Figure Hacks "I gotta get one of those" At the end of Chapter 3 the Heavy Mandalorian is seen using his jet pack and flying high to say farewell to The Mandalorian as he makes his escape. As yet the only FX pieces seen in the Black Series have been lightsaber blades and forcelighting. You do wonder if there was a plan to include jet flames to this release as the ones we get with nearly every Iron-Man figure in the Marvel Legends line fit perfectly to give a jet fire effect. I am yet to find a flight stand that can hold our Heavy Mandalorian, but there are certainly tweaks to be made to the figure if you want to try and show him flying - or at least preparing to take off.

McFarlane have sent over a press release for their next Game of Thrones Dragon Release, a repaint of their Viserion Dragon. The first version of Viserion was his undead form, this new version is Viserion shortly before his death at the hands of the Night King with golden and cream scales. He will also include an additional fire breathing FX piece. Along with his brothers Rhaegal and Drogon, Viserion was raised since birth by Daenerys Targaryen, and was named after Daenerys’ elder brother Viserys. Before his death at the hands of the Night King, Viserion could be distinguished by his cream and gold colored scales. and red orange wings. Incredibly detailed figure of Viserion as seen in HBOs critically acclaimed series Game of Thrones Features bendable tail with movable legs, wings, and neck allowing for customizable posing Comes with removable flame burst Viserion’s wings span 16.5” wide and features up and down movement Viserion measures 9”H x 16.5”W x 10.5”D when fully displayed on base Figure is showcased in window box collector packaging

McFarlane have shared the details of their exclusive Arya Stark figure from their Game of Thrones line. This new variant of Arya is as we see her wandering the streets of Kings Landing following the assault and devastation from Daenerys and Drogon. The figure is exclusive in the US to Walgreens and is out now. Arya Stark is the third child and second daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and his wife, Lady Catelyn Stark. After narrowly escaping the persecution of House Stark by House Lannister, Arya is trained as a Faceless Man at the House of Black and White in Braavos, and uses her new skills to bring those who have wronged her family to justice Incredibly detailed figure of Arya Stark modeled from digital scans of actress Maisie Williams 6” articulated Arya Stark figure featuring her iconic look from “The Bells” episode of Game of Thrones’ final season Figure features 12+ points of articulation Figure comes with Needle sword and Valyrian steel dagger accessories

McFarlane have shared the full images and details of their Rhaegal dragon figure from Game of Thrones. Rhaegal is due to be released this month, December 2019. Along with his brothers Viserion and Drogon, Rhaegal was raised since birth by Daenerys Targaryen, and was named after Daenerys’ eldest brother Rhaegar. Rhaegal is distinguished by his green colored scales, and red-greed wings. Rhaegal would develop a bond with Jon Snow shortly before the battle of winterfell allowing him to mount him during the battle. Incredibly detailed figure of Rhaegal as seen in HBOs critically acclaimed series Game of Thrones Features bendable tail with movable legs, wings, and neck allowing for customizable posing Rhaegal’s wings span 7.5” wide and features up and down movement Rhaegal measures 3”H x 7.5”W x 9”D when fully displayed on base Figure is showcased in window box collector packaging

The latest McFarlane Stranger Things figures of Chief Hopper and Eleven from Season 3 have arrived at Bargainmax at £14.99 each. Also in stock is the Deluxe Demogorgon at £21.99 As always, orders over £15 are shipped free of charge (paid links)

Big Bad Toy Store have announced an exclusive Storm Collectibles Mortal Kombat Sektor figure coming to them for January 2020. This exclusive Sektor is a repaint of the original release and also includes an exclusive wrist flamethrower piece, with flame FX attached. The swap out hands, finishing move "compactor" and the smoke and missile are also included - these are the same as the ones in the standard release. Joining Storm Collectibles Mortal Kombat VS Series is Sektor the son of the Grand Master and loyal member of the Lin Kuei. The Grand Master is pleased at the degree to which his son relishes the life of an assassin. The secretive clan allows Sektor to express his darker nature, using any means necessary to complete his tasks. Hired by Shang Tsung, his current assignment is to attend the Mortal Kombat tournament and eliminate Earthrealm competitors. Though this mission will put his clan in good standing with Shao Kahn, Sektor's ultimate goal is to supplant his father as Grand Master of the Lin Kuei. The BBTS exclusive includes a flame effect accessory. Product Features 7 inches (17.78cm) Made of plastic Highly articulated From the Mortal Kombat game series Create your own death matches BBTS exclusive Box Contents Sektor figure 4 Hands Smoke missile Smoke missile effect Sektor's fatality (compactor) Exclusive flame effect

Storm Collectibles have released the gallery of images and the full details of their Mortal Kombat 1/12 scale Sub-Zero figure. (be warned of gory images in these promo images from Storm) Sub Zero, in his iconic blue ninja inspired outfit, will be packed with a variety of hand options and two ice FX pieces. There are also two "gore" accessories. The first is a blood splatter that can be used on Sub-Zero's feet to simulate him landing a blow. The second, and even more gorey, is a hand option that simulates a similar blood splatter - but with two eyeballs popping out at the same time. Sub-Zero is scheduled for a March 2020 release and is priced at $70 in the US. Expect UK prices to be around the £70 to £80 mark once imported. SUB-ZERO An assassin of the Lin Kuei clan, Kuai Liang commands the power of ice and cold. Unlike other members of his clan, he and his older brother, Bi-Han, were abducted as children by the Lin Kuei and trained in the techniques of assassination throughout their lives. Though his codename is Tundra, he has now assumed the mantle of Sub-Zero to honour his brother after Bi-Han’s mysterious death. With the help of his fellow Lin Kuei Smoke, Sub-Zero tirelessly hunts the one who killed his brother. Features: – 4 x Pair of Hands – 1 x Ice Blast Effect – 1 x Ground Ice Effect – 1 x Blood Effect – 1 x Sub-Zero Fatality Effect

"Hey You Guys!" The NECA Goonies Sloth and Chunk 2-pack will be released in early 2020. The set uses the NECA 8 inch scale articulated bodies and sculpted heads with real tailored soft goods outfits. Chunk and Sloth will be packed together and the set will also include Sloth's pirate hat and the statue of David that Chunk breaks early in the film. NECA have released packaged images for the set which will come in a window box.

When NECA confirmed at SDCC 2019 that they will be returning to the Hellraiser licence with a new Ultimate Pinhead there was not a lot of photo's available for the new figure. NECA have now released a set of promotional images for the figure which shows it will come with two head option as well as a number of appropriate accessories including Lemarchand's Box. Originally planned as an October 2019 release, he is now due to ship in early 2020.

The Entertainer has some of the 6 inch budget hero Star Wars figures in stores now, priced at £4.40. The figures are the wave from 2016 and in the store I was in I found Kanan Jarus, Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight, Darth Vader and Han Solo. When it was originally released in 2016 the case also included Darth Maul and Rey so I suspect they may be found also. You can see my reviews on these figures at our Star Wars page. It is also worth noting that the Star Wars Black Series Stormtrooper with FX pieces has dropped to £9.99 now. This price is live in store and online at The Entertainer website. The review for this figure is here if you want to check it out.

We spotted the NECA Burning Godzilla at SDCC but nothing was said or announced regarding the release. NECA have now confirmed that the figure, that they are titling Godzilla version 3, will be a Target exclusive in the US and will start to arrive in all Target stores in December 2019. The figure uses the existing King of the Monsters sculpt, but with updated decor to the Burning Godzilla we see towards the end of the movie. "Godzilla: King of the Monsters - 12" Head-to-Tail - #Godzilla v3 is coming exclusively to Target! Some stores have already stocked shelves ahead of schedule. You can expect the wide release to hit all stores and Target.com next week!" We now await confirmation that this will get a UK release. Having seen the Target exclusive Turtles come to UK stockists, it seems likely we will have access to this and NECA have alluded to it "being possible" on their Facebook announcement.

When Storm Collectibles confirmed their Golden Axe Ax Battler and Red Dragon Set in October, they feature a cool looking 6 inch scale Skeleton in their promotional shots. Storm have now announced they will be releasing the Skeleton for collectors, and it will be sold in a two pack! Each set includes two articulated skeleton figures with assorted hand options and two swords. Each Skeleton has a shield - one right handed and one left handed. The set is due for an April 2020 release and is $58 US dollars, around £44 in UK - but that price will likely rise with import costs etc. SKELETON, ALSO KNOWN AS SKELETON SOLDIER, IS AN ENEMY IN GOLDEN AXE, AN UNDEAD WARRIOR SUMMONED BY DEATH ADDER'S MAGIC. SKELETONS ARE EQUIPPED WITH A SWORD AND A SHIELD. THEY ARE NOTABLE FOR POSSESSING ALL OF THE BASIC ATTACKS THE PROTAGONIST HAS (DASH ATTACK, JUMPING ATTACK, ETC). (REF: FANDOM WIKI) This package comes with TWO full articulated Skeleton-body, TEN pairs of hands, TWO swords, ONE right-handed shield, and ONE left-handed shield. SKELETON 2 PACKS Features: 2 x Skeleton's Full Articulated Body 10 x Pair of Hands 2 x The Skeleton's Sword 1 x The Skeleton's Shield (right hand) 1 x The Skeleton's Shield (left hand) Product Release Date: April 2020