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Took a trip to Smyths Toys today to see what was new on the shelves. Following suit with Asda, Smyths now have the wider wave of Hasbro basic 6 inch Avengers Endgame figures and I found Iron-Spider, Captain America and Black Panther - as well as the Iron-Man in Quantum suit that has been hanging around for a few weeks now. These are priced at £9.99 so are £2 dearer than the Asda price of £7.97 (although the Asda next door had sold out). The Deluxe Thanos was still on pegs at £12.99, but no sign of the new Hulk figures in this slightly larger packaging. The only other thing of note to report is the first price reduction in the McFarlane Fortnite figures, with the Cuddle Team Leader dropped from £24.99 to £17.99. These don't seem to be shifting at all in any of the Smyths I have visited and I would watch out for further reductions across the other figures.

DC Collectibles have announced four new figures for their DC Essentials line. Sinestro, Green Lantern, Batman and Catwoman. Batman and Catwoman are based on their Knightfall storyline from the 1990's era. The wave is scheduled to be released in January 2020. The watch out is of course that DCC are prone to cancelling releases if the initial uptake from pre-orders is not deemed sufficient. "Sinestro, once hailed as the greatest Green Lantern, now harnesses the ability to instill fear as his source of power. Will Hal Jordan, who is finally joining his super-friends in the DC Essentials action figure line, be able to stop the evil Sinestro? Pair these new figures together to find out. Batman and Catwoman are both back in their classic costumes from the iconic '90s Knightfall storyline. Batman's action figure features his blue and gray color scheme, longer bat ears and capsule belt. Catwoman, Gotham City’s Feline Fatale, is depicted in her popular purple costume, and is the indispensable antihero to pair with the DC Essentials Batman. • Allocations may occur • Final products may differ from images shown ON SALE JANUARY 2020 $28.00 US • EACH FIGURE SOLD SEPARATELY"

Packaging reveal from NECA for their 8 inch Megadeth Vic Rattlehead figure, coming in June 2019.

Hasbro have release even more promotional images for their upcoming Marvel Legends Avengers wave 2 2019. The images cover the three MCU releases of Warmachine, Rescue Pepper Potts and Shuri as well as images of comic book Union Jack and Rock Python. We assume images of Loki, Beta Rey Bill and the MCU Hulk (BAF) will follow at some point.

Mezco have shared some initial images of their One:12 John Wick Chapter 2 Deluxe Edition figure. John Wick will come with his dog as well as a whole arsenal of weapons. There is also an alternative head sculpt, a selection of hands, blast fx pieces and twelve stacks of gold coins. These coins, and the weapons are designed to sit in the trunk accessory that is also included. At $120 John Wick is not the cheapest release and there is a $30 non refundable deposit on each figure. He is due to be released between January and March 2020. For UK and Worldwide bidders, this figure can also be ordered for international shipping direct from the Mezco site. "The One:12 Collective John Wick: Chapter 2 - Deluxe Edition includes two head portraits capturing the master assassin’s vengeful visage. Presented in a tailored 3-piece suit, John Wick comes well equipped with a lethal arsenal that can be contained in his dual-layer trunk. His dog is included and comes in a dynamic, static pose. An attempt to resume a quiet civilian life is cut short for John Wick when Italian gangster, Santino D’Antonio, shows up on his doorstep and compels him to repay past favors. Chaos unfolds as John soon realizes there is a bounty on his head. Highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, John Wick is also a master tactician and marksman who will do what he needs to survive. The John Wick saga continues with the third chapter coming to theaters on May 17th, 2019."

From the new Predator movie directed by Shane Black! Although their scenes were deleted from the final cut of the movie, the Emissary Predators were military Predators who fought alongside the Loonies. Emissary #1 stands over 8” tall and features 30 points of articulation. Includes interchangeable masked and unmasked heads, 2 pairs of hands, and rifle accessory. Comes in collector-friendly deluxe window box packaging with opening flap. Release Scheduled : May 2019

Mezco have update their shipping options for their direct order website to now include International Shipping. You can now pre-order / order most Mezco items and have international shipping and taxes calculated for you depending on destination. Sadly, some items will remain as US shipping only (most likely licence dependent). Shipping costs for a Mezco One:12 to the UK is coming in at around $32 for shipping and $20 import. That adds $52 to a standard $80 figure making it $132, or £102 on today's conversion rate. That means buying from UK retailers is probably more cost effective, but the Mezco option at least gives International buyers access to Mezco website exclusives. On all orders, non refundable deposits will still be applicable * prices will vary depending on figure and conversion rate of $ to £.

Asda stores have started to receive a promotional stand for Avengers Endgame. The cardboard stand contains both the 12 inch and 6 inch hero figures. These limited articulated figures are priced at £7.97 each, reduced down from the usual £10 RRP. The 6 inch line is not quite in scale with Marvel Legends, made to a fixed size not a scale. Some figures like Iron-Spider will fit in, while others look too small. The Asda I visited had Iron-Spider, Black Panther and the new Chitauri. There were also some of the older Infinity War figures slotted into the display.

NECA have shared images of the packaging for their upcoming Mothra figure from Godzilla King of the Monsters. Mothra will ship, in the US, at the end of May 2019 at the same time the movie hits cinema's

Mezco have opened up pre-orders for their "biggest ever Kong" figure. The 18 inch King Kong figure will set you back $250 with a 10% non-refundable deposit. It is due for release between November 2019 and January 2020. Kong comes with three head options and an alternative pair of hands. "King Kong, the ruler of Skull Island who terrorized 1930’s New York is set to reign over the world of collectibles. Immense in detail and size, this king-size Kong stands at a towering 18” tall. He comes complete with 3 interchangeable head portraits, each showcasing a different expression, and 4 interchangeable hands. Featuring 10 points of articulation, the ruler of Skull Island can create a thrilling array of dynamic and defiant poses."

I have always had more than a passing interest in the various Warhammer properties from Games Workshop, in particularly collecting a reasonably large Space Marine army in my youth. The announcement of a team up between Games Workshop and Bandai is therefore ticking a lot of boxes for me, especially as the partnership will be bringing us 7 inch figures from the Warhammer 40k universe, starting with an awesome looking Space Marine. The figure has been displayed in sample unpainted form with more details and confirmation of a release date due soon. "Announcing a brand new collaboration between Bandai and Games Workshop. Bandai, one of the most respected and widely known Japanese manufacturers of action figures, will be developing 2 types of figures for worldwide distribution in cooperation with Games Workshop. "WARHAMMER 40,000 Space Marine Action figure is the first ever Warhammer action figure. It is a 7-inch painted action figure with several points of articulation, exchangeable weapons and parts. The first series in this product line will be based on Space Marines. " "This exciting new partnership between Bandai and Games Workshop promises to deliver an incredible new range of high quality action figures for Warhammer fans across the world. Release dates for both products will be announced soon. "

Images have been shared of some new Marvel Avengers Endgame figures coming from Amitoys. Amitoys are a Far East Toy company and are perhaps best known in the West for a series of 6.5 inch Spiderverse figures last year which were available on sites like eBay and Aliexpress. It appears these may be licenced from Marvel to some degree, most likely restricted to sales in the Far East. The series announced is made up of Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, Thanos and Hulk. The figures are a 1/11 scale which sits between Marvel Legends 1/12 scale and Marvel Selects 1/10 scale. This puts figures like Captain America at approximately 6.5 inches tall. The Hulk figure is of particular interest considering the Hasbro version chose not to go with his Endgame suit.