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Our #SatToyDay newsletter is back after an extended break. We are using a new PDF viewer on the site, which means you go to the SatTOYday news page and then click on the issue you want to read. Older issues, as per usual, are in the SatTOYday archive and are PDF's direct from Google Drive.

Had a wander round a few retailers today looking for action figure bargains or new stock. Game have now added the McFarlane 7 inch Fortnite figures to their small stock of action figures. They are priced at £19.99 and in the store I was in they had Drift, Rex, Omega and Carbide. Staying with Game's small action figure offering - they have reduced the McFarlane Game of Thrones figures down from their original £19.99 price. The Night King was priced at £17.99 while Arya and Daenerys were £15.99 each. The store I was in had no Jon Snow so I can't confirm his price. Moving over to B&M and no sign of anything new today in the high street store I visited, but they do seem to be getting ready for the new 2019 Doctor Who sets by reducing the 2018 3-packs down to £12 each.

Medicom MAFEX are releasing a Batman "Hush" figure in 2020 as seen in this Far East magazine scan. All we know so far is what we can see on the image with the figure coming with three head sculpts as well as swap out hand options and at least one Batarang. The image indicates this is planned for an April 2020 release.

Sad news for NECA fans as a number of UK retailers are now reporting that they have been advised that NECA's upcoming Ace Ventura 8 inch figure cannot be sold in the UK due to licencing issues. Looks like you might have to source this one through the secondary market. Or if you are quick there are stocks on Amazon US that will ship into the UK (accurate at time of posting).

Alien fans, particularly those of the movie line, can start to get excited as we are just a few weeks away from the next Movie release - the Alien Resurrection Newborn Alien. NECA have just released the packaging for the item and confirmed that it will commence shipping to retailers in late July - that will likely put UK stock some time in August.

From Alien : Resurrection, the fourth movie in the thrilling sci-fi series! Two hundred years after Ripley’s death, military scientists are attempting to clone Ripley in order to extract the Queen embryo that was in her body when she died… And on the eighth attempt, they succeed. Contaminated with Ripley’s DNA, the Queen gives birth to a grotesque human/alien hybrid called the “Newborn.” The Newborn action figure stands approximately 11” tall and includes a display stand. The Newborn features a screen-accurate sculpt and almost 30 points of articulation. This deluxe figure comes in display-friendly window box packaging with opening flap. Release Scheduled : Q2 2019

As we edge closer to the arrival of Spider-Man : Far from Home in cinema's, SH Figuarts have announced - albeit by the usual Far East catalogue page - a Stealth Suit Spider-Man figure from the movie. Looking at the image we will get three head options - or three swap out eye segments to give varying expressions and the visors open look. There will also be swap out hands and we firing FX pieces. The figure is down for a January 2020 release. Usual form is for official images to follow very soon, at which point we will update this article.

Hot on the heels of their Mortal Kombat Scorpion announcement, Storm Collectibles have released details of another 1/12 scale Mortal Kombat release for Autumn 2019. Cyrax made his debut in Mortal Kombat 3 and the figure looks to be based on the Mortal Kombat X costume. Cyrax will come with alternative hands as well the Cyrax Bomb and Energy Net. He is scheduled for an October 2019 release. At this stage there is no indication, as there was with Scorpion, that he will be available early at San Diego Comic Con. "A skilled Motswana warrior, Cyrax relies on his natural fighting ability, his chi, to carry out Lin Kuei missions. He is proud to serve, but when the Grand Master initiates a program to convert the clan into cyborgs, Cyrax resists. He is reluctant to lose his humanity, which he believers is more effective than any mechanical augmentation. He has contemplated leaving the clan, fearing that it is no longer an organization of honourable assassins."

It was Batman Day 2018 (1st May) that Mezco first teased their One:12 Commissioner Jim Gordon figure with light up Bat Signal. Mezco have now announced this will be a Summer 2019 Exclusive. The item went on sale as of the 19th of June and promptly sold out. If you were lucky enough to order one (and this included international customers) then he will ship in July or August 2019 after SDCC 2019. Collectors going to San Diego Comic Con will have another chance to pick him up at the Mezco booth. "The signal goes on and he shows up. That's the way it's been, that's the way it will be." "The Bat Signal, the searchlight device used to summon Batman, is rotatable and shines bright in any direction it’s pointed. Simply flip the switch on the base to power it on and crank the handle to emit the Bat emblem onto a flat surface. The One:12 Collective Commissioner James Gordon figure comes with two head sculpts portraying a mid-career James W. Gordon as well as an older portrait. The figure is outfitted in a button-down shirt with necktie, a removable trench coat, slacks, and dress shoes. Committed to ridding Gotham City of crime, he comes well equipped with a removable GCPD issued tactical vest with functioning zipper, and a that belt can hold his GCPD police badge, walkie talkie, and handgun with holster. Set the scene with the included diorama display which portrays a gritty, urban rooftop where the Bat Signal can be used to light up the Gotham sky. Somewhat skeptical of Batman’s vigilante method, Commissioner Gordon recognizes the necessity of Batman and the two have developed a mutual respect, a steely forged alliance, and implicit friendship."

Remember that Select Avengers Endgame Hulk we shared a few days ago, well it has been confirmed as one of Diamond Selects Endgame releases - not directly by Diamond, but via this listing on Big Bad Toy Store. "A Diamond Select Toys release! Because you demanded it! The first Marvel Select action figure based on Avengers: Endgame is none other than the heroic Hulk! Wearing his outfit from the blockbuster film, this approximately 9" action figure features 16 points of articulation and interchangeable hands and fists. Packaged in display-ready Select action figure packaging with side-panel artwork for shelf reference." According to the blurb Hulk will stand 9 inches tall - which may be a little short in scale compared to the usual 7 inch Select figures. He has swap out hands/fists - although these are not shown. The figure is due in November 2019, but as any Select collector knows that date may move considerably.

Wave 20 was the first full wave release of 2019 and followed the new format from Hasbro of ensuring new waves were made up entirely of new figures, with no repacks from prior waves. Dryden Vos was one of two figures in the wave from Solo - the other being Han Solo in his Mudtrooper uniform. The other 4 were made up three prequel figures - Padme, Mace Windu and a Battle Droid - and the divisive Admiral Holdo from The Last Jedi. Packaging 4/5 Dryden's packaging is the standard phase 3 black box with red spine an figure card back. Vos is number 79 in the current phase of packaging. The illustration of Dryden on the front is, as usual, well drawn. But it is perhaps a little tame and not very emotive and portrays Dryden as passive and pleasant. The same image is repeated on the back with what seems to be an extended amount of text vs other recent waves. "The public face of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, Dryden Vos is a contradiction: a pitiless enforcer know as a gangster of wealth and taste. His good manners shouldn't be mistaken for weakness, though : he can can change from generous host to ruthless killer in a moment" Paint & Sculpt 5/5 The sculpt for Dryden Vos is a dead on likeness for Paul Bettany, a significantly better head sculpt than the Vision figure (Marvel Legends) from lat year. Unlike the box art the head is also sculpted to look mean and menacing. The head uses the face print technology which is key in the eyes and shading round the eye sockets. The head also includes the sculpted staple in his forehead. Hasbro has however taken the decision not to include the clawed thumb that Vos sports onscreen - perhaps this was an oversight, or more likely something that would interfere with the figure holding the included accessories, especially when you consider they have sculpted and painted the ring Dryden wears on his right hand and his wrist communicator. Beyond the head sculpt the body is relatively plain. We have a high grey collar with a gold button and then a full black outfit down to some glossy patent shoes. Over this hangs Vos's cloak with some slim ties that are made in rubberised plastic that straddle the chest. Vos is a tall figure, standing taller than Han Solo and Lando from the same range - reflective of Paul Bettany's 6 foot 3 inch frame. There is a feature built into Dryden's head sculpt that is not advertised on the packaging, but is a cool nod to what we see on screen. Expose the figure to lower temperatures and the scarring on the face reacts to look darker - you can see what this looks like in the bottom three images of the panel below. These were taken after the figure had a 5 minute stint in a freezer. Accessories 4/5 Dryden Vos comes armed with his two double bladed knives, Kyuzo Petars. These are, like a lot of bladed weapons, cast in a softer plastic. But they still look sharp with a good curve to the blade. They are cast in a red plastic and then painted gold, leaving the inner grip in the base colour. There is some red on the blade that I first thought was rub through of the top gold coat - on closer inspection this seems to be an over-wash to simulate blood on the blade. The blades fit snugly into both hands and hold firmly in place. While not so much an accessory, it is worth noting that if you wish the cloak on Dryden is removable. You have to slide it off the left shoulder first then out of the right arm. While there is a fully sculpted and painted body underneath, he does look a bit slim and gangling without the cloak and the neck in particular now looks too extended. Articulation 4/5 Dryden has a standard articulation count of 16 joints, the usual for a Star Wars Black Series figure Head : ball joint neck with pivot Body : ball joint torso Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, pivot wrist Legs : ball joint hips, thigh split, double jointed knee, ankle rocker Immediately out of the box Dryden has very loose hip joints. They are also quite gappy which could be adding to the movement. While he stands OK, I think he may have stability issues going forward. Aside from this the figure is mobile and can kneel (without the cloak) and wield his weapons in a variety of offensive stances. Summary Dryden Vos is a stunning looking figure with one of the best head sculpts to date in the line. He really reflects his on screen character with a mean look in the eyes and a dominating height over other characters from the movie. The temperature reactive paint in the head is a nice "Easter egg" and the accessories are well designed and sculpted to fit the figure. Articulation is as good as any other Black Series and the only downside to this release is the loose joints at the hips. While I have scored a couple of the individual sections a 4 out of 5, the overall score for Dryden Vos is a very strong 5 out of 5 and a figure that will only enhance your Solo or wider Star Wars display. See More Star Wars Black Series figures

It was in November 2015 that we launched the #SatTOYday newsletter, an online magazine that summarised the key news from our website. You may have noticed a significant lack of #SatTOYday news over the past couple of months, with our last issue published after Toy Fair 2019. There are several reasons for this, but the main one is changes made to our online magazine publisher Issuu. When we first signed up they were a free platform assuming we didnt charge for our magazine. Over the years theyve moved various functions to a premium paid for account. The final stage of that has now happened and removes our ability to embed or share our magazine outside of the Issuu format. Coupled with the intense workload getting the magazine together every couple of weeks we are now left with a difficult decision to either pay for a premium account or look for other options, including retiring #SatTOyday all together. As you know we have a couple of dedicated site supporters, but in the main I fund the whole thing myself including all the figures I review. Adding a new subscription into this is not viable at this time. And when we consider 90% of our readership was via the Issuu platform, moving to a less user friendly PDF format or similar might not work. We'd love to hear your thoughts? Is a regular summary of the news something you want as a reader - or are you happy using the Blog function to catch up on the key action figure news.