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NECA have released the full details of their 1956 Godzilla figure and confirmed it's release for the 2nd quarter of 2019 (April to June). The release celebrates the first appearance of Godzilla and is based on the US movie poster of King of the Monsters The packaging will innovatively fold out to a 3D back drop so you can recreate said movie poster with the figure "NECA goes back to the movie that started the reign of the most famous kaiju in the world This version of the beloved monster is based on the one-sheet poster for the movie's 1956 U.S. release, Godzilla, King of the Monsters! The figure measures 6" tall and 12" long from head to tail. It features over 30 points of articulation, including an articulated tail! The package insert doubles as a foldable backdrop that brings the one-sheet to life-Godzilla can be posed in the fold of the backdrop creating a 3D version of the poster illustration in toy form."

A new flyer from Disney Store has revealed the next Diecast Elite Series droid to be released. R4-G9 will be arriving on 19th of January. We would assume this would be Worldwide considering every Elite release to date has been Global. R4-G9 was the droid assigned to Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Clone Wars after his original R4 unit was destroyed by Buzz Droids in the battle over Coruscant.

NECA have shared a set of new promotional images for their Ultimate Stripe Gremlin figure arriving in 2019.

Welcome to our review of the Marvel Legends 6 inch Drax the Destroyer figure from 2014. Drax was released as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy wave in 2014, the first wave to include both MCU figures and an MCU build-a-figure in the form of Groot. Packaging 4/5 The Infinite Series was a relaunch of Hasbro's Marvel Legends line and moves the line from blister cards to the scooped side window box. The infinite series had the movie logo on the panel above the window, with the Legends logo underneath the figure - the character name would sit under this. The Guardians of the Galaxy packaging was themed with a purple colour scheme, most notably on the illustrated side panels of an MCU Drax. Around the back of the box is an image of Drax as well as a short bio text. Under this sits a checklist of all the figures in the Guardians of the Galaxy wave and which figures carry which parts of Groot. "The vendetta that drives DRAX the Destroyer knows no limits : he will avenge the loss of his family no matter the cost" Sculpt & Paint 4/5 Drax has the most impressive face sculpt of the wave with a strong likeness to Dave Bautista. The skin carries Drax's tattoos and markings, and impressively these are sculpted and not just painted. The skin tone is a little off, being a touch darker than what we see on screen. It would have also benefited from a wash to bring out the details. Like the head, the body of Drax carries a full set of tribal markings - each one sculpted onto the chest and arms. These are all painted with an orange shade against the grey/blue of the skin tone. The trousers are the red ones that Drax has at the climax of the movie when the team gear up onboard the Ravager ship before facing off against Ronan the Accuser. These are cast in red plastic with paint applied solely on the belt. The boots similarly are cast in a grey plastic with the only painted the added silver squares. Articulation 4/5 Drax arrives with the full set of 19 points of articulation, and for such a bulky character he has a wide range of movement. The torso has a ball joint to allow the head to rotate and tilt forward and back - as much as getting Drax's chin to touch his chest. Under this is a ratcheted ab-crunch to allow the torso to lean forward and back. To allow the upper body to then rotate there is a simple joint in the waist to allow rotation. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder with a bicep swivel underneath. You then get double jointed elbows and pivot wrists. The legs are similar with a ball jointed hip, thigh swivel, double jointed knees and ankle rockers. All of this makes Drax hugely maneuverable for both neutral and action stances. The only issue is that the joints do not feel ratcheted and the legs in particular are very loose and Drax often slides out of his stance and falls over. Accessories 4/5 Drax comes with his pair of ornate blades and these are cast in a silvery plastic and for their size carry a lot of ornate detail on both the hilt and the blade. There is some level of wash on the blades to bring out his detail and give them a metallic look. The blades can fit in either hand and posed blade up or down depending on your preferred pose for Drax. With the blades in place and that awesome articulation, adding a flight stand can really bring the figure to life with Drax leaping into battle with his enemies. When not in use the blades slot into holsters either side of his boots, as they do in the movie. The fit is tight and snug. While not included with Drax, it is worth noting that Drax is about the best figure of the wave to wield the Hadron Enforcer that is packed with Rocket. The weapon is shaped to press against Drax's chest with hand grips at either side that can be held by Drax's gripping fingers. Summary Drax is probably the best figure of the Guardians wave and was good enough that Hasbro simply repainted this and added a tweaked head for his 2017 release from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. The issues with the figure are limited only to the slightly too dark skin tone and the loose limbs, particularly the hips which can impede keeping him stood on display. I score Drax the Destroyer a 4 out of 5.

Welcome to our review of the 2017 exclusive Star Wars Black Series 6 inch set, the Guardians of Evil. The set was exclusive to Gamestop in the US and was never officially released outside of the States, just imported at a premium and in low numbers into the UK. The set brings together four figures from across the various Star Wars era's from the Republic Senate Guard to Supreme Leader Snoke's Praetorian Guards from The Last Jedi. Packaging 4/5 The Guardians pack is one of the few four packs released in the Star Wars Black Series. It uses the layout setdown by the Imperial Forces 4-Pack from 2015 by presenting the figures side by side in an elongated package. The box retains the same height and depth as a normal black series box. But extends to have four figures in situ. To the right hand side we have the red spine. There is no number as this is an exclusive and instead the greyed square and then a list of the figures included in the pack. The other spine no red text and the word Guard can be seen in grey against the black background. Each figure is individually named underneath the figure window and next to a Gregory Titus illustration. They run in chronological order with the Senate Guard first followed by the Imperial Royal Guard. We then have the Emperor's Shadow Guard and finally the Elite Praetorian Guard. The back of the box is similarly segmented with four panels, one per figure. The order remains the same on the reverse with the Senate Guard coming first with the Star Wars Black Series logo above it. That does mean the Senate Guard text is not directly behind the Senate Guard in the packaging - but it would be difficult to get mixed up. Each guard has a short bio text, and these are repeated in the various alternative languages. The Shadow Guard is of course now a Legends character and thus is preceded on the rear by the word "Legends". The same labelling was used on the Jaina Solo release so it is consistent. "Senate Guard For centuries, the Senate Guards kept the galaxy's legislators from harm while they went about the Republic's business on the capital world of Coruscant. With the decline of the Republic, the blue guards were eventually phased out by Imperial stormtrooper patrols and the red guard in the Emperor's service. Imperial Royal Guard Resplendent in crimson robes and armor, the Imperial Royal Guard protected the Emperor. Secrecy shrouded the Guard, with rumors abounding about the sentinels' background and combat capabilities. (Legends) Emperor's Shadow Guard Each one of these elite guards is specially chosen by Palpatine for his exceptional loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire, and for his ability to use the Force. Each Shadow Guard carries a pike that can ignited to use as a lightsaber-like blade Elite Praetorian Guard (with Double Blade) As the Supreme Leader of the First Order, Snoke was flanked by crimson-clad guardians, loyal protectors encased in ornate armor ready to defend the Supreme Leader from any threat." Sculpt & Paint 4/5 Each of the first three figures are based on the same figure. We start with the Senate Guard who has a brand new helmet piece cast in glossy blue with black painted visor. The lines are clean and there are no obvious defects. The painted black visor is painted neatly but it does look painted and doesn't sit too well with me on the figure. The cloak is entirely soft goods and is taken from a very soft flowing fabric that does hold its shape well. There is a lot of fabric here so it takes some time to smooth it and have the figure looking realistic without it billowing out everywhere. What is brilliant is the decision by Hasbro to have sculpted armour under this cloak and the Senate Guard has this, but it is identical to that used originally on the Imperial Royal Guard single release. This time it is cast in the same glossy blue as the helmet with darker blue almost purple undersuit. The Imperial Royal Guard, who was originally released a couple of months earlier in 2017 and who provides the base for these first guardians, is identical to its single release. The helmet is cast in gloss red plastic. The visor is set back on this figure and while it is painted, the recessing works to make it look more like the prop. Like the Senate Guard, and like the original release the cloak is the same soft flowing material that can be shaped and tucked to get the position you are happy with. And again the body underneath is fully sculpted. The intention with this figure is for this armour to represent the Royal Guards seen in the Crimson Empire comic book and therefore allows an alternative option for your guards. The robes can be rotated under the helmet to reveal the armour if you want the Crimson Empire look to your figure display. The Emperor's Shadow Guard first appeared in the Force Unleashed novel and then would appear in the Force Unleashed video games. They are essentially force sensitive elite soldiers - a role now replaced in the Disney canon by the Inquisitors. Like the other two figures the helmet is cast in glossy plastic, this time black. The visor is painted again, but rather than black the figure has a red tinged visor to differentiate it from the helmet. Again the robes are soft goods and flowing and can be smoothed and folded into position. The same sculpted armour also exists under the Shadow Guard robes cast in black gloss and with the undersuit in a softer mat black. The fourth figure, the Elite Praetorian Guard, is also a tweaked release as it shares the same base body as the other Praetorian Guards released both in wave 13 and as an Amazon exclusive. This version, like the other two, differs in terms of its helmet. Here we have a duck billed affair, with a curved top. All of it is cast in red gloss plastic with no paint apps. The armour is all gloss segmented panels with a slightly duller red visible around the neck and under the shoulder armour. The legs are painted black with the red returning in the knee high boots. The sole other pieces of paint / colour are a small black spot on the chest plate and the black soles of the boots. The body is a re-use from the other Praetorian Guard figures apart from the skirt which is now soft goods, and this makes a huge difference to articulation as we will see later. Accessories 4/5 Each of the Guards is provided with an appropriate accessory weapon. We start with the Senate Guard who is armed with the Mk II Paladin blaster rifle, as seen on screen. The weapon is cast in a rigid plastic with a semi-flexible strap added. The colouring is base black with silver added own its length. The weapon fits into either hand, with the right having the required trigger finger. Two handed poses are available and thanks to the strap the weapon can be slung. The strap does provide the sole issue in that being semi-rigid it doesn't hang naturally. The three Senate/Imperial Guards are also armed with an EC-17 hold out blaster. This is packed in the holster on their belt and held in place with an elasticated clear band. It is the same one packed with the original Imperial Guard - but not the same as the original one with the Scout Trooper which had a tendency to snap. It is cast in black plastic and has no paint apps. It is designed to fit into the left hand as it has a smaller grip and therefore the first two fingers slot in the grip while the other two sit underneath. This is not wholly accurate, but is probably better than increasing the blasters side to fit the figures hands. When not in use it goes back in the holster. The fit is pretty tight but there is a danger of it being dislodged and falling out un-noticed from the robes. The Imperial Guard has the same Force Pike as the single release. This is cast in grey with painted black around the grip. It fits into a two handed action stance, or can be sat in the right hand so it leans back on the shoulder as seen in the movies when these guys are in the guard position. For some reason Hasbro gave the Guards a trigger finger which can stick out and look odd in certain holding poses with the force pike. The Imperial Guard also has the EC-17 hold out blaster in the holster under the robes. Our Shadow Guard has a more ornate force pike which is cast in black plastic with ridged sculpted detail. It is then fitted with a red lightsaber type blade. The blade can be removed if you wish to pose the Guard without the weapon ignited. The pike fits into the right hand, but when held the trigger finger they've given the figure looks even odder than it does on the Royal Guard, sticking straight out. The EC-17 hold out blaster is again in position in its holster under the robes. The Elite Praetorian comes with what is described as a double blade. This is a two piece weapon that is cast in red plastic with silver painted blades. On the end of one blade is a notch that lines up with a plug on the other half. This allows the two pieces to be combined into a double blade staff of sorts. The weapon can be wielded in either, or both, of the Praetorians hands and looks great either as a combined staff or as two separate bladed pieces. There is no secondary weapon for the Praetorian Guard. Articulation 4/5 The first three figures in the set share the same articulation. There are 15 points of articulation in total, one less than the usual Black Series figure - and that is due to the helmets of the Senate / Imperial Guards being fixed. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder with a single rotating elbow and pivot wrist. While double jointed elbows would have been ideal, the single joints do just enough to allow for two handed weapon poses with the Force Pikes or the Senate Guards rifle. There is a joint built into the torso to allow the upper body to twist and lean in and out. This allows for the figures to be posed as though advancing with their weapon or preparing to strike. The legs are fully mobile as the armour is dialled back around the hip area. This makes the ball joint hips fully mobile and with a thigh swivel and double jointed knee beneath them the ability is there to have these figures kneeling. The legs end with an ankle rocker. This is sadly a little loose on all three figures and does not feel ratcheted. While standing the Guards is fairly easy, there is a problem with the ankles slipping and the figure toppling over. The Praetorian has the full 16 points of articulation, having the neck joint in place to move the helmeted head. The torso joint is mobile around the centre of the chest and the legs are fully articulated and no longer constrained by a hard rubber skirt. On this version the soft goods allows the full movement of the ball joint hips, thigh swivel ,double jointed knees and ankle rocker. As with the other releases, the issue is the arms on this figure which are jointed beneath the segments of the armour. The shoulders work well enough thanks to a joint in the shoulder panel above the joint which moves with the arms as they are raised. The elbow joint is less useful as it is locked in position by its own armour. It can bend a little, but not excessively, and that hinders the arm poses somewhat - particularly when wielding the weapons. Summary This is one of those sets that on paper for the targeted US market works really well. It brings the Senate Guard and Emperor's Shadow Guard into the line, gives collectors another Royal Guard and a variant Praetorian to guard Snoke. The figures are all done well, even if three of them are essentially the same body, with good accessories and articulation. All of that in the US is priced at around $80, the same as you'd pay for four figures - and it is easy enough to either pop into Gamestop or order from their website to obtain them. The issue for the rest of the world, particularly Europe, is that there was no formal release - even the promised Disney Store release never materialised. That left the set retailing at around £120 and that means you are paying £30 per figure, more than a basic release for a repack and three tweaks. I played the long game with this set, and eventually imported from the Far East for a good price and if you can get this at £80 or below then it is a solid set and I score it 4 out of 5.

Review : Han Solo Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 2 (Phase 1) Released : December 2013 Price : £19.99 The second wave of the fledgling Star Wars Black Series came relatively quickly after the first and gave us four new characters in the 6" scale. Alongside the Han Solo we are about to look at here, the wave also added bounty hunters Greedo and Boba Fett as well as Leia in her Jabba's palace slave outfit. The figure arrives in a black matt box with cut out window insert through which the figure is visible. A frame around three sides of the window gives you the Star Wars Black Series logo top left and to the right of this the grey scaled art we know so well. In the phase 1 packaging this is in a circular frame and is of the characters head only. To the bottom of the box is the character number and name in orange text. Han is #08 in the Phase 1 series. There is then the Hasbro logo and some warning text around age and choking hazards. The window allows full visibility of the figure which is sat on a black backing card. An orange dotted line, reminiscent of the lighting on the Death Star, runs vertically to the right of the figure as you look. Han is packed wearing a white Storm Trooper belt - while his own belt, two blasters and an alternative pair of hands sit to the right of the figure as you look at it. The two sides of the packaging are quite plain. The right is a wrap around of the window and the left is essentially plain black. Round the back the orange line returns down one side and the back is headed up with the Star Wars Black Series logo. Under this sits a repeat of the character name in orange and then in grey text a very brief character bio and then in italics a quote from A New Hope "Sorry about the mess". For US releases the rest of the box rear is an image of Han with his feet up in the Mos Eisley Cantina from A New Hope, converted to grey lined image. For international releases this is often covered with a large over-sticker containing the figure info in alternative languages - if you are careful you can peel this off if you wish. Review : Han Solo, A New Hope Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Released : March 2017 Price : £24.99 The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the original 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logo's. The character name for Han is set into a green coloured box, with the same green used behind the figure. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logo's Han is designed to be specific to his appearance in A New Hope, but has accessories included to allow him to be changed to different scenes in the movie. The figure arrives wearing the Storm Trooper belt that he "borrows" while on board the Death Star. To the side is his more familiar belt & holster, two blasters and an alternative set of hands. Han Solo stands at pretty much 6" high, that's 155mm. The likeness to Harrison Ford is easily recognisable although they haven't made the most of the sculpt and just cast the head in flesh colour plastic and painted on rudimentary eyes and eyebrows. Even the lips are flesh toned. Ford's features are just a few more paint shades away from being spectacular. The hair is a deep brown and is very well sculpted also, capturing that swept back off centre parting that Solo sported in the first movie. It is dry-brushed with a couple of other colours to highlight. The neck is a touch too long for Solo and the hinge under the chin is too visible and is unsightly. The neck runs down into the collar of the shirt and here the base plastic moves from flesh toned to cream and therefore the flesh is now a paint job and is much more of a matt finish compared to the slightly glossy head and face. The outfit starts with the off white open collar shirt. The folds and creases are captured nicely both on the torso and down each arm. But like the head the paint is a flat colour - no depth. There is a sculpted brown leather belt at the top of the trousers with a neat silver clasp and belt loops painted in the same blue as the trousers. The trousers themselves are a shiny blue with further fabric folds. Again for some reason the top of the thigh is glossy and the rest of the leg is slightly less shiny? Down each trouser leg side are the Corellian Blood stripes in a deep red. Rather than just being painted detail, these stripes are sculpted into the trouser and are ridged when you run your finger down them. Solo ends with gloss black knee high boots. Han of course also comes with his trademark black vest. This is a separate sculpted item and is cast in a black rubbery material. The details are picked out nicely with pockets and a zipped seam with further padding and paneling around the back. There are no paint apps at all on the vest. One nice touch is that the vest is removable. Now when I say nice touch I do mean in the engineering - sadly when the vest is removed the figure looks too lanky with it's long neck, bulky shoulders and very slim torso. A pity as this would have worked really well as a Jabba's prisoner Han? The Storm Trooper belt is the same one that would come one wave later attached to an actual Storm Trooper. It is a flat white rubber material and wraps round Han's waist and closes with a clasp. I suspect the clasp will not take repeated use. From this belt hangs the Storm Trooper holster, this is painted in black. It also works and holds the E11 Stormtrooper blaster packed with Han. This weapon is a crisp cast, and in a harder plastic than we've seen some weapons since. It is cast in black and has no paint details. The other belt Han can wear is his Smuggler's Belt. This is a little more complex to put on. First the leg loop has to be hooked round the right foot, and to do this you will need to point the foot downward. Once this is done you can pull this loop up to Han's thigh and then clasp the main belt around his waist. It uses a similar clasp to the Stormtrooper belt - again, not something that will last a long time with repeated use. This belt is highly detailed and has a better paint app than most of the figure. It is brown with a darker brown wash in parts. The clasp is silver as is the buttons on some of the pouches. There is a blue capsule top to one side of the clasp and to the other a black canister with silver detailing. Round the back are more silver studs and a repeat of the clasp. This belt too is a working holster and fits Han's DL-44 blaster. Once in situ there is even a securing strap that loops over the blaster's hilt and locks in place with a peg that pushes into the main holster. Very well executed! The DL-44 blaster itself is much nicer than the E11 Stormtrooper weapon. It too is cast in black plastic, but has a metallic dry-brush to sharpen the detail of the sculpt. It also has a silver barrel and brown leather grip. Han comes with 16 points of articulation. The head is a ball jointed hinge and will rotate fully and will look up and down and can be cocked to the side - Han style! The shoulders are ball jointed and move with a stiff ratchet action. These can be brought up right out to the side and then rotated to most any position. The elbows are a single joint but are shaped and rounded so they can bend round to 90 degrees. The elbows also rotate, as do the hands at the wrist. The hands are also pegged so they too can bend to 90 degrees. These hands can also be swapped with a second version that are sculpted and painted to represent the flight gloves Han wears while piloting the Falcon. Both hands clip in and out securely and the paint is neat from the yellow leathery colour of the gloves with the black palms and strap and that exposed skin underneath. A torso joint is tucked in towards the bottom of Han's stomach, this is nicely hidden in the folds of the shirt and let's Han lean forward and backward as well as swinging a good way to either side. The legs start with ball jointed hips with a full range of movement including a sitting position and kneeling. When wearing the smuggler's belt with thigh strap there is some restriction to Han's right leg - but nothing major. The knees are double jointed, and just above them is a thigh swivel should you need it. The legs end with the ankle rockets. These are also stiff and ratcheted and support Han in most poses and don't feel like they will loosen or start to flop with use - an issue on some other Black Series figures. Han, like so many Black Series figures, is a few paint applications short of being a special release. Even with a couple of skin tones on the head he would be vastly improved. Articulation is fine and the joints are stiff and ratcheted. The accessories are also well done, with about three different screen options you can display Han in. I score Han a solid 4 out of 5 thanks to his accessory options and articulation. I do hope that like Luke, Hasbro will revisit this character again soon - specifically the Bespin jacket and the Endor commando - and if they do I urge them to give that Han sculpt a touch more paint. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : Imperial Stormtrooper Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 3 (Phase 1) Released : 2014 Price : £19.99 Our first Imperial Trooper in the 6" Black Series was the Sand Trooper in the debut wave. The more generic Stormtrooper then arrived in Wave 3 alongside Luke Bespin, Obi-Wan Kenobi and a repack of Han from the previous wave. The Stormtrooper is packed with an E11 Blaster and a DLT-20a Blaster Rifle and comes in the matt black box with the original orange line trim. The box has a cut out window insert through which the figure is visible. A frame around three sides of the window gives you the Star Wars Black Series logo top left and to the right of this the grey scaled art we know so well. In the phase 1 packaging this is in a circular frame and is of the characters head only. To the bottom of the box is the character number and name in orange text. The Stormtrooper is #09 in the Phase 1 series. There is then the Hasbro logo and some warning text around age and choking hazards. The two sides of the packaging are quite plain. The right is a wrap around of the window and the left is essentially plain black. Round the back the orange line returns down one side and the back is headed up with the Star Wars Black Series logo. Under this sits a repeat of the character name in orange and then in grey text a very positioning text about Imperial Stormtroopers boarding the Tantive IV in A New Hope. In italics is a quote from A New Hope "Inform Lord Vader we have a prisoner". For US releases the rest of the box rear is an image of Stormtroopers charging into the corridors of the Tantive IV blockade runner. this is converted to grey lined image. For international releases this is often covered with a large over-sticker containing the figure info in alternative languages - if you are careful you can peel this off if you wish. Review : Stormtrooper Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Released : June 2017 Price : £24.99 The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the original 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logos. The Storm Trooper is packed on a deep red coloured panel, with the E11 blaster up near his head and the larger DLT-20a blaster rifle on the same side, but down near the feet. The red of the blister backing is used on the name panel. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner, the only real change vs the original Kenner card backs. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logos. Out of the box the Imperial's finest stands dead on 6" high. The sculpt is proportional and screen accurate with the armour cast in bright white plastic. The helmet is well proportioned to the body, and looks like a human head can fit inside. The eye slots are black gloss, but do suffer with a touch of paint bleed into the eyebrow rim that runs round the helmet above the eyes. There are a number of cut in panels, each painted in grey and black. The mouthpiece is a matt black, and here the paint really needs to go a bit further back on the sculpt. Either side of this central mouthpiece are the two silver studs. A line of blue decals are applied either side of the helmet. The body panels are all angular and hard and in the main match up to each other in shade. Softer areas like the shoulder armours and belt do seem a little yellower, and over time these will become more of a contrast to the harder plastic elements. The same yellowing can be said of the articulation pins on the elbows and knees, Under the armour is a black undersuit. On our review figure here we do get some white patches on the black parts which is frustrating. The only other colours used on the Stormtrooper are grey paint on the rear of the belt canister and on the soles of the boots. The belt is a separate piece and is hooked around the waist with a holster hanging from the troopers right hip. Articulation starts with the ball jointed helmet which rotates fully and has a pivot to look up and down by quite a distance. The shoulders are ball jointed, but will not raise much past 45 degrees as the armoured shoulder panel doesn't retract and blocks the movement. The elbows are double jointed, an unusual feature on the Black Series on the whole. and this really helps two handed weapon poses. There is even a bicep swivel to turn the arms inwards or outwards. The final arm articulation is a pivot at the wrist to help adjust hand movement. A torso joint is built in under the chest armour and like the helmet, this both rotates and can pivot forward and backwards. Legs start with the hips, which like the shoulders are restricted by the armour. The knees are double jointed and allow kneeling positions to be reached, but not one knee firing or action poses. Ankle rockers allow the figure to stand easily. One criticism of the figure is around the joints which are loose in place, and the figure has a definite loose wobble when handled. The two guns are cast in black plastic. The E11 is left at that, with no further paint decor. This fits into the troopers right hand, with the trigger finger of the trooper lining up to the trigger of the gun. The E11 can be cradled in two hands also thanks to the double elbow articulation. The larger D20a has a silvery dry-brush on top of the black plastic. This also sits in the right hand and can be held one or two handed. The holster allows both weapons to be held easily, although it is designed specifically for the smaller E11. The larger gun can be slotted in place, but it will stick up past the waist and across the back of the figure. The Imperial Stormtrooper ticks a lot of boxes as a figure. It is well designed and fairly well executed - the only questions being around the yellowing on some of the softer plastic and those floppy joints. It is an Army Builder and is representative of the troopers appearance in all three original films. He of course also fits in with Rogue One and Solo so is a figure for all collectors of Imperial era movies. The Stormtrooper would only need a few tweaks to be perfect. As it stands I award it a 4 out of 5. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Welcome to our review of the 6 inch Marvel Legends Gamora action figure, released in 2014. Gamora was part of the early stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe releases under what was initially badged the Infinite Series of Marvel Legends. The Guardians of the Galaxy wave was the first to include both figures from the MCU and an MCU build-a-figure in the guise of Groot. Packaging 4/5 The Infinite Series packaging of 2014 defined the shape of the Marvel Legends packaging we see today. The familiar scooped sides and window are in place, but the movie logo sits atop the package, while the larger Marvel Legends Infinite Series logo sits under the figure window. The character name is listed in a bar at the very base of the box. The overriding colour used is a purple hue for the Guardians figures and this is most notable on the two side art panels which are drawn in purple shapes. The artwork is quite basic and is not taken from the Guardians movie, and is rather illustrated comic-book style. The rear of the card has an illustration of the figure itself and under this a visual checklist of the Groot BAF and which figures in the wave contain which parts. To the side of the Gamora figure image is the brief background text... "The last survivor of an extinguished race, the assassin GAMORA trained from childhood to become the most dangerous woman in the galaxy" Gamora sits centre of the tray against a grey card insert, she holds her sword in her hand. The leg of Groot sits to one side Sculpt & Paint 3/5 This fledgling release in the MCU carries a generic likeness to Gamora, but not close to a good likeness to Zoe Saldana in full make up. The eyes are very cartoonish while the markings on the cheeks and above the eyes are incorrectly coloured. The lips are well coloured as is the hair with its variation from dark brown to deep red. The hair piece does sit a little too high on the head giving Gamora a large forehead. It also doesn't flow quite right and is a little too short. While the head has some inaccuracies, the costume is well realised. The body is proportioned pretty well, but like a lot of early MCU figures is still a little exaggerated rather than actual proportions. Gamora therefore has a very slim waist and also looks a little bow legged. The outfit is a mix of black and blue hues. The pattern in the blue is not attempted and instead we get some silver hexagons around the collar piece. The belt is an individual piece that can be moved, it too carries some basic silver details. Articulation 2/5 You will find 16 points of articulation across Gamora, which offers a good level of posing - helped by her slim build and the hips and waist we mentioned earlier. The head is a ball joint but with the hair piece you will find only a rotation to Gamora's right is possible. Moving the head also throws the line of the hair out. More useful is the torso ball joint which can rotate and lean in and out. Arms are ball jointed shoulders, but have only a single elbow joint that also serves to rotate the lower arm. We then have a pivot wrist which rotates and can bend on the pivot peg. The slimness of the arms help in the posing massively as we will see later on. Legs too are very poseable, particularly thanks to the wider hips. We have a ball joint fully moveable hip followed by a thigh swivel. The knees here are double jointed and can almost bend fully back on themselves. There is an ankle rocker, but it can only rock backwards. Forward and sideway movement are restricted by the trousers. Being quite slim and lightweight, Gamora is already quite difficult to stand and that isn't helped by the thick wedged soles of the boots. The figure also suffers from a loose hip joint so the legs do have a habit of sliding around. While I got Gamora to stand for some of our images, you will see others where we've had to employ a stand. Accessories 2/5 Gamora is packed with a single accessory, her sword. This is cast as the fully extended sword. It is cast quite well with a good level of detailing around the hilt and the split blade. It is cast in a dull grey plastic and has zero paint application. This does end up making it look cheap. Gamora can hold the weapon in either hand, although both grips are not tight. The elbows will just about allow a two handed pose but this is more of a neutral stance and not with the sword raised in any combat pose. Even with the belt piece, there is no ability to holster the weapon - of course Gamora actually does this by retracting the sword, so were we to have a holster clip of sorts we'd also have needed a second version of the sword. Summary Gamora is a difficult figure to judge considering she was released some years ago now in 2014. It is unfair to compare her to the more recent face printing releases, but that aside there are some concerns with the figure such as the high hairline, inaccurate face markings and the bandy legs and overly slim waist. I score Gamora a 3 out of 5. Having her and the original Guardians from their 1st movie is probably a must for an MCU completist, but the newer GOTG2 figures offer much improved versions of all the characters.

NECA Facehugger Friday reveal.... "Let's go swimming for #facehuggerfriday, testing the range of motion and head movement on the new Resurrection Warrior coming Spring 2019"

Welcome to our review of the Star Wars Black Series Dengar action figure. Dengar was released in wave 19 of the red line / 3rd phase packaging in 2019. He is the 5th of the 6 Empire Strikes Back Bounty Hunters to be released, with Zuckuss on the way to complete the set. Dengar is number 74 in the red packaging to date. Packaging 4/5 Dengar is packed in the familiar phase 3 red line packaging and is number 74 in this 3rd phase of Star Wars Black Series releases. The Gregory Titus artwork is a nice close up shot of Dengar, complete with his scars. The side decor remains standard with the red 74 and the character name on the red spine. On the other side we have the character name in red and blown up as a background in grey text. The reverse of the card has a larger image of Dengar and the short character text, taken as usual from the StarWars.com Databank. "Crude and slovenly, Dengar was nonetheless an effective bounty hunter. While some hunters prided themselves on finesse and style. Dengar preferred firepower and destruction." The figure is accessed via the top or bottom flaps of the box which are secured with tape. The inner section slides out with Dengar sat in the inner plastic tray, surrounded by his backpack and weapons. There are no twisty ties or tape in play. Paint & Sculpt 5/5 Straight off the bat you know you have a pretty special figure in hand with the weight and solid feel of Dengar. The head sculpt is fantastic with the scarring on the face sculpted detail and not just painted - or rather printed - in place. The likeness to actor Morris Bush, who played Dengar in Empire and Jedi (albeit most of the footage was cut), is excellent with the eyes in particular standing out from beneath that swath of head bandages. We know from various expanded sources that Dengar wore a mismatch of Imperial Trooper armour, but I am not able to find any definitive re-use on the body. Dengar wears Snowtrooper chest armour, while the legs are Stormtrooper thigh and shin armour, complete with the shaped knee sections. The shoulders too are Stormtrooper panels while the belt and holsters are akin to the gear worn by Boba Fett and other Bounty Hunters. All the armour panels are painted a dull brown with silver detailing added to show chips and flaking of the paint. Under the armour is an off white body suit of sorts. Gloves are a slightly darker cream, as are the shoes - which do have the look of a pair of slip-on moccasins. To complete Dengar's look, his backpack is included. This slots into a shaped section on his back. You then have two flexible straps. One is flat and slots into the chest armour by going under his arm, there is a slight socket to clip it in place. The other has what can best be described as a shaped clip that clips to the side of the backpack and then it goes under the arm to a socket beneath the front chest armour. The backpack is packed full of detail with lots of textures and intricate details including the rolled sleeping blanket and the clips and buckles at the end of the straps. It is painted in black and then has a few more shades of colour applied to pick out the various parts - all applied neatly and without issue. Accessories 3/5 Dengar comes with two weapons, the first of which is a DL-21 blaster. This seems to be a new cast, albeit similar to the blaster Han uses in the Saga. It is cast in quite a soft black plastic and the barrel can be warped out of the box. It slots perfectly into Dengar's right hand with trigger finger slotting in place. When not being used the blaster has a slotted holster at Dengar's waist. The fit here is very tight and the barrel can easily bend while being positioned. Once in place it holds in place fine. The second weapon is a DLT-19, the same weapon that was packed with 4-LOM and originally the Imperial Sandtroopers. This is cast in a grey plastic with no paint apps and looks quite plain and a bit soft in detail. It doesn't quite fit well in Dengar's hand, always an issue when an existing weapon is shoehorned into another release. When being held the trigger sits too far out for the trigger finger to get into position. The other issue with this weapon, and the kicker for me, is that it is not the one Dengar has on screen in the Star Destroyer scenes. Dengar uses a Valken 38-X rifle which is different to the one included. Dengar did use a DLT-19 in some promo images, but you'd think Hasbro would be aiming for screen accuracy considering all the other Bounty Hunters are appropriately armed with fresh weapons cast for all but 4-LOM (you'd hope this wasn't a cost saving exercise). Articulation 4/5 Dengar has 16 points of articulation, standard for a Black Series figure. Being a bulky armoured figure there is some restriction on some joints, but on the whole Dengar moves and poses pretty well. The head is articulated on a ball joint and can rotate fully. Any other movement is restricted by the heavy bandages and chin section. The torso has a mid section ball joint built between the chest and stomach armours. This allows rotation, but no leaning forward movement as the chest panel and backpack holds the back quite straight - you can lean him back some distance if you wish, but it looks a bit odd like he is mid-fall. The arms are ball jointed shoulders with a rotating single elbow joint and pivot wrists. The right shoulder is restricted somewhat by the armour panel, but will raise to about 45 degrees. There is no issue with the left shoulder. The elbows being a single joint bend to 90 degrees only. This is enough to give a two handed weapon pose. The legs are ball jointed at the hip with a thigh swivel immediately below. Even with the armour these joints have surprisingly full motion and Dengar can sit or do the splits if you wish. The knees are double jointed and we end with the ankle rockers. The knees and ankles are ratcheted, and the one gripe I had was the feet are difficult to hold in a standing position as the ratchet on the right seems to be too far forward or back. In the end it was easier to put Dengar on a stand. Summary Dengar is as close as you can get to a perfect release and is then let down by two weapon accessories. The two blasters are poorly executed with no detail or paint. One is two soft and warped and struggles to fit in the holster, the second isn't screen accurate and doesn't fit in the hands properly. Aside from this Dengar does everything else right from a wonderful face sculpt, weathered and worn armour and impressive articulation for such a bulky figure. I score the wave 19 Black Series Dengar a 4 out of 5.

Welcome to our review of the Marvel Legends Evolutions of Groot action figure. After the 2014 release of Groot as a build-a-figure, this 2017 release gave collectors the opportunity to purchase Groot as a single figure with a new sculpted head and an improved paint job. Thrown in for good measure were scale appropriate versions of Potted Groot and Baby Groot. The set was exclusive to Toys R Us stores. Packaging 3/5 As a stand alone exclusive release, Groot doesn't necessarily fit in with any other Legends packaging coming with a purple hue theme and backing card. The illustration down each side shows off the three stages of Groot with the adult Groot at the top and Baby Groot and Potted Groot further down. The packaging used the original Guardians of the Galaxy movie logo, which is the movie the majority of the contents are based on. The name card simply reads GROOT with the word Evolution in brackets. On the reverse of the pack we see a promo image of the main figure, with the two smaller versions in inserts shaped like the Guardians badge. The text reads... "From potted prodigy to towering tree-like humanoid, Groot uses powers of regeneration to become a legendary defender of intergalactic justice" You will realise of course from the way Groot looks in the box that there is something not quite right with his height. He is too tall fully assembled to fit in a normal Legends box, so the Hasbro team have removed his legs at the knee and packed the under the main figure. I am not a huge fan of this look if I was collecting the figure carded, it looks odd. With the figure not sitting in a wave then it would have been easy enough to put Groot in his own box packaging to suit his height. Once unpacked, assembly is simple enough - like any build-a-figure they push and click into position. The hardest part is probably working out which is left and which is right. Sculpt & Paint 4/5 The 2017 Groot sports a new head sculpt which now has Groot smiling rather than the more sullen look on the original build-a-figure. The sculpt is very strong with an expressive look and quite a lot of depth to the sculpt and paint job - particularly the eyes. The smiling head is quite specific a look for Groot and if this was meant to be the definitive Groot release then I would have also liked to have seen the original head included (with updated paint) and the roaring head - which is the other iconic look for Groot from Guardians. The rest of the body remains as we were in 2014. The wood and tree like effects and textures are good with tendrils wrapping around legs and arms. Groot stands nearly 9 inches tall, and is perfectly stable on those literal tree-trunk legs and the planted root feet. This time round the paint job is massively improved with a lot more depth and washing added to the figure. While I felt the 2014 BAF was a good figure, when you set these side by side you can see how far the line has come in just a few short years. Articulation 3/5 Groot retains the 16 points of articulation that the BAF had in place. The main trunk of the body gets a ball joint neck, making the head swivel and tilt, and a further ball joint mid-chest. This joint is important as it allows Groot to lean forward and back and is the one that permits the posing to take on more Groot-like stances. Arms are jointed with ball joints at the shoulders, with a bicep swivel underneath. The elbows are double jointed and there is a pivot wrist peg. While the arms are pretty mobile, the legs are less well served. They start with a ball joint hip - but then we have no thigh swivel and the knee is only a single joint. We end with a form of rocker on the ankle, but it doesn't offer too much movement. Altogether this limits Groot to wider stances only with the occasional knee bend. Accessories 4/5 I am going to class the two smaller Groot incarnations as accessories for the purpose of this review. We start with "potted plant" Groot, as seen in the cut scenes at the end of the first movie. THis is the iconic dancing Groot and the pose tries to recreate this. Considering the size (less than 3cm in height) the features are discernable - although blowing up the figure in images lie we have below shows it is all a little soft when magnified. Paint is applied to give some green texturing to the figure. The soil of the pot is also painted a different darker brown so it separates from the figure. The pot itself is a plain white colour. The only other paint applied is the eyes and a thin line for the mouth. Baby Groot takes us from the first movie and into Volume 2. Like the potted version, Baby Groot stands just 3cm high and is sculpted well enough for you to know who it is - but again very soft when magnified. The paint is once again restricted to green highlights in selected areas and the dark eye colour - Baby Groot does not get any paint applied to the mouth - this is left to the sculpt alone to define. The figure is completely different to the Ravager Baby Groot from the GOTG2 Rocket release. Neither of these mini versions are articulated in anyway - something that would be difficult at such a scale, but not impossible as Diamond Select have proved. Summary The Groot Evolution set takes what was a good figure and makes it better with a crisper and more accurate paint job and some neat accessories in the form of the two mini Groot's. The figure is not however without its fault. The smiling head is quite specific a look, and there are no alternatives provided which would have been nice. The figure is also packed weirdly with its lower legs detached. Not an issue for loose collectors with assembly working fine, but certainly an odd looking figure to have in a carded collection. I score the Groot Evolution box set a 4 out of 5.

After focusing much of my time over past few months on the website revamp I am conscious that reviews have been few and far between in the last few weeks - evident also by the large pile of new toys waiting to be photographed and reviewed. To that end welcome to the 12-days of Christmas, a countdown to the big day with at least one new action figure review each day. Within the reviews we have some new releases as well as some older, and potentially harder to find figures. Also upcoming will be our Christmas #SatTOYday newsletter and following that our 2019 end of year review - including our top figure releases of 2018 and my usual terrible predictions for what we may see in 2019.