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Review : Firestorm DC Collectibles Wave/Series : DCTV (CW) Legends of Tomorrow #01 Released : March 2017 £19.99 While Hasbro and Mattel between them seem to monopolise the Marvel and DC licences for 6" figures respectively, there are other companies making figures. Where as Diamond Select are doing an awesome job on the 7" Marvel figures, DC have their own in-house DC Collectibles who are putting out some brilliant 6.75" figures at present across a number DC licences - both comic based, animated and for TV and movies. While CW's Arrow and Flash have been on the table for a while at DCC, 2017 see's both Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow join the schedule. Here we take a look at the first Legends figure with Firestorm. The packaging for most DCC figures is boxed and using white as the predominant colour. This allows the figure to take centre stage in the window. This window wraps round the right side of the box, and here the character name is printed onto the clear plastic window. The other three sides of the window are surrounded in white and the Legends of Tomorrow logo sat under the window at the base of the box front. Under this logo is a coloured band that contains a lot of the legal and trade mark notices. This band is colour coded to the TV show, grey being used for the Legends of Tomorrow releases. On the angled part of this bar, as the box turns the corner, is the number one - identifying Firestorm as the first figure in the Legends collection. To the rear of the box, and this is quite sparse in terms of what you may be used to from Hasbro or Mattel. The grey bar continues round the back and carries the DC logo and the sculptor detail. Above this, and the rest of the box rear is made up of an "Also Available" advert - showing the Season 3 Green Arrow, Hawkgirl and Zoom from Flash. Continuing to the other spine (the left as you look at the box front) and DCC have taken a leaf out of the Diamond Select packaging with a colour image. Unlike Diamond though, who use movie images or comic art, DCC have gone with a full colour image of the figure itself showing off the head and shoulders of Firestorm. Rather than a full image, the grey trim continues to this side and here it carries the Legends of Tomorrow logo, the character name and the number of the release (#01) Once out of the box you will find Firestorm and his accessories in a standard inner clear tray. The backing card continues the white theme, broken only by the Legends of Tomorrow logo. It is good to see that DCC have packed a short instructional insert which shows you how to swap out Firestorms head/hands, as well as how to assemble Hawkgirls wings and attach Zoom's speedster effects. I often comment that many companies simply let us work this out for our selves, so well done DCC. Firestorm arrives with his flaming head attached and in this guise he stands 7 inches high. For anyone new to the DCC scale, the sizing is unusual in the market as they work to a 6.75" sizing. The nearest comparison would be Diamond Select or NECA figures, and side by side these DCC figures don't look massively out of place - but they are a touch smaller in most cases. In hand, the figure is nice and weighty and is obviously quality vs some of the cheaper plastics we find on other products. The head sculpt is a good likeness to Franz Drameh and the flame effect is also very well done in a translucent orange through to yellow plastic. The head paint applications are neat with the white eyes for the combined Firestorm looking very impressive. While there is no shading or washing, the detail on the sculpt works well enough with the natural light. Even the shaved hair is nicely done to either side of the flame effect. Down into the costume and the replication to the suit seen in the TV show is admirable. The top section is the deep red, with yellow chest section complete with the circular chest piece and off shooting circuitry. Each panel is lined in a neat black line and there is some good washing and weathering on the front and back of the torso. Down into the legs and the costume transitions from red into black, and if you run your hand where the red panels still sit - these are relief and sculpted rather than just being a paint application. The outfit ends with some plain laced boots. The whole paint job looks and feels different to many other lines, it has a smooth but almost matt quality to it and really pops on display. The hands are interchangeable on Firestorm. He arrives with a pair of fists fitted, but these can be taken off with a satisfying pop and replaced as you wish. You can add in open palmed hands, on one or both sides and these come in flame on or flame off varieties. The flaming versions using the same translucent plastic technique as the head with an orange core through to yellow flames. There is also flame firing hand which sits on the right wrist. This has an extended flame in a firing effect. The other swap-able option is the head, with a standard Franz Drameh head included for those who want a normal looking Firestorm. This looks to be the same base sculpt as the flame head, but with the eyes now painted the expression changes dramatically. So two great head sculpts for you to choose from and with the hand options as well you won't be short of display options. The looks on Firestorm can't be faulted, so how's the articulation? The DCC figures are again comparable in articulation to Diamond's Select figures - around 16 points of articulation. That means they aren't super articulated, but have enough for some good shelf posing. Firestorm starts with a ball joint head that rotates 360 degrees and can look up and down by a few mm's either way. The shoulders are ball jointed, and the arms can be raised to 90 degrees out from the body and then rotated fully. The elbow is a single joint, bending to just under 90 degrees. The wrists are pegged so do fully rotate, but they also have a pivot in the peg to allow some forward and back movement - be advised this is very stiff out of the box and takes some gentle persuasion. Once freed this pivot will only move the hand within the restrictions of the sleeve. There is a torso joint and yet this barely moves and doesn't add much in the way of movement. It can swivel and move back and forth, but as you do so it exposes the bright yellow colouring underneath and looks odd. The waist is also a joint that rotates. Into the legs and these are a similar joint to the T-joint used by Diamond. That means the leg swings up and down, and then out to the side. The sideways movement doesn't go particularly far, but the forward movement will let you sit Firestorm down. The knees are double jointed and work really well as the lower leg can essentially fold round on itself. This opens up the figure for some good kneeling posing. The articulation ends with rocker joints on the ankle. While most of the joints feel tight and robust, the ankles are a tad loose and as you know a loose ankle rocker is not your friend when standing a figure on display. These loose ankles are about the only flaw I can find on Firestorm. And bear in mind this is a 6.75" Action Figure that you will be able to buy for sub £20 here in the UK. You can't argue with that level of value for money - a weighty, well made and well painted Action Figure for £20! Consider also the extra parts and the MOC friendly packaging, then Firestorm deserves nothing less than a 5 out of 5 from me. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : Malcolm Merlyn DC Collectibles Wave/Series : DCTV (CW) Arrow #12 Released : 2016 £19.99 Malcolm Merlyn is the 12th figure in DC Collectibles 6.75" scale Arrow-verse figures. It essentially takes the earlier release of the Dark Archer and now adds the John Barrowman head, naming the character as Malcolm Merlyn. The figure comes in the standard white DCC window box. Being an arrow release the bottom trim is green and the Arrow logo sits above this. The character name is printed in white text on the corner of the box. Around the back and the design is relatively plain with the Arrow TV logo at the top and under this the three figures released in this "wave". On the alternative spine is a zoomed in image of the figure as under which sits a wider green panel, the arrow logo, character name and the number 12 in an arrow head shaped icon. The figure is accessed via the top or bottom flap. He slides out in an inner plastic tray that itself sits in a cardboard sleeve with a cityscape printed across the middle third. Merlyn is secured into the tray with twisty ties. A solitary arrow and his bow sit to the side The likeness to John Barrowman is fleeting at best. The sculpt is very soft with barely any features. It is cast in a skin tone plastic which doesn;t help as there is no shading, and only the lips, eyes and eyebrows are then painted. The hair is similarly "soft" and is painted a dark grey and then has a yellow dry brush in complete contrast? The body and outfit are much crisper in sculptural detail and painting. The body is essentially a large leather over coat with strapping and padding cross the shoulder and chest. There is a neat belt around the waist too and all buckles and buttons are picked out neatly in silver. The jacket itself is painted brown then has rubbed black in places as though it is worn and used. Round the back is a black leather quiver, with further silver studding and a cast block of arrows sticking out of the top. The legs are a plain grey down but with further dry brushing to weather these also. The final element are the ankle boots, which are a plain black but with a crisp golden zip line at the side and a gold line trim just under the toe cap. Merlyn has 14 points of articulation, pretty standard for a DCC release. That head is ball jointed and can look side to side as well as looking down. You can also feel a ball joint in the waist, but this does not move as it is locked in by the coat section. The arms start with ball jointed shoulders and then into a single rotating elbow. This is the biggest miss for me on the figure as an archer is always going to need very maneuverable elbows to achieve archery poses. The elbow joint we get doesn;t even bend to 90 degrees so as you can see posing is going to be tough. The wrists are pivot joints so these rotate and also bend pretty well - this is unusual for a DCC release as quite often the wrist pivots are jammed by the paint application. The legs are ball jointed hips, and these are also locked in place by the coat. The knees are double jointed and there is a rocker type joint at the ankle. Merlyn stands perfectly well on display. Malcolm's weapon is a very intricate modern hunting bow which is cast in a black plastic. There is plenty of details on the cast, but no paint apps to accentuate them. The string is actually elasticated string which means (with the right articulation) you could pose the figure drawing the bow and being ready to fire. In reality that is harder than it sounds due to those limiting elbow joints. The bow sits into the left hand, accurate to the show, and the grip and hold is pretty good. The string should then fit in the shaped fingers of the right hand, but that is easier said than done - and with the elbows only bending so far the draw is quite limp and relaxed. A single arrow is included and I presume the idea is to pose the arrow in the bow ready to fire. Again in principle this sounds OK, but practically it doesn't work. The right hand can't hold the flight of the arrow enough and the best I could get is having the arrow propped on the hand. This arrow accessory is cast in quite brittle plastic, no doubt to get the thin shift and pointed head, making it prone to snapping. It looks as though it should fit in the quiver down the side of the sculpted block of arrows. Sadly the space left is not enough and if you do put the arrow in the quiver it sits up quite considerably. All is not lost, and working with what DCC have given us does let you add some character to your Malcolm Merlyn figure. With some tweaking you can get some preparing to fire poses. At a circa £20 price point for a 6.75" figure, the DCC figures are starting to get a little bit left behind by their competition. While the figures are well sculpted, human faces are still quite soft. Articulation is also falling behind other lines like Marvel Legends. And yet these DCC figures do hold a kind of charm and a quality feel in their weight and paint job. They do look good once posed and hold there posing really well on display. As an addition to an Arrow-Verse display, or even as a bad guy on your Legends of Tomorrow shelf, Malcolm Merlyn is better than average and I score him 3 out of 5. #Arrow #BlackCanary #DC #CW #TV #OliverQueen #Merlyn #Review #Action #Figure #Toy #MalcolmMerlyn #LegendsofTomorrow

Review : Black Canary DC Collectibles Wave/Series : DCTV (CW) Arrow #11 Released : 2016 £19.99 After getting a Sara Lance Black Canary in the early 2015 releases of the DC TV figures, we had to wait until the 11th Arrow figure to get the Laurel Lance version of the character in her Season 3 outfit. The figure arrives in the stark white DC Collectables box with angled figure window and the character name printed in white on the angled part of the window. Being an Arrow release a green trim wraps the base of the box along with the Arrow TV logo and the figures number, #11, in an arrowhead design. The side spine carries an impressive close up shot of the figure against a green backdrop. Round the back we get a larger Arrow logo, under which sit the three figures from this 2016 wave - Season 3 Arrow, Black Canary and Malcolm Merlyn. Black Canary is strapped into an inner tray with some twisty ties, her baton sits to her side and is held in with tape. The tray sits in an inner box and on here we get a city scape as a band through the centre. While the image on the box is a very good likeness to actor Katie Cassidy, the reality of the figure is a little less impressive. While there is a passing resemblance, the skin has a waxy tone with no definition and the eyes and lips then seem to float on the face. The hair is well executed with two tone colouring to add depth to the blonde. The outfit is very intricate and while the overall colour is black, there are a variety of tones and finishes - from matt areas to gloss areas. Zips and buttons are defined in silver and the boots have grey straps and a full length silver zip up the back of the boot legs. She stands 6 1/2" tall which is a bit taller than the traditional 1/12 scale (Legends) but not quite big enough to sit comfortably with 1/10 scale 7" figures like NECA and Diamond. The DCC scale fits somewhere in the middle, around a 6.75" scale. The DCC figures are not the best articulation, with Black Canary weighing in with 14 points of articulation. The head is ball jointed and despite the hair can rotate fully round and look forward and backward - although when the head is tilted forward the hair sticks out quite unnaturally. The torso joint is a ball joint just under the chest and this gives a decent amount of rotation and lean. The legs are rounded ball jointed hips and then double jointed knees. This allows for wider action stances, but not much more. The ankles are rockers and despite the slim design and heels on the boots - Canary still stands pretty well. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder. There is then a single rotating elbow joint which is restricted by the sculpting and it cant even reach a 90 degree bend. Each wrist has a peg and pivot and these do work a lot better than some of the earlier DCC figures where the paint was often thick and chalky and prevented movement. There are three sets of hands included ranging from a pair of fists, to a pair of gripping hands and then open palms. The gripping hands are used to hold the sole accessory of a baton / night-stick. This is a basic design cast in black with no other paint apps. It can be held by the main handle or side handle and then positioned in a number of poses either out as a baton or up the arm as more of a defensive block. When not n use there is a hoop built into Canary's belt and the baton slips into this snugly. Overall, Black Canary ticks most boxes as a well proportioned and well executed figure. The face likeness is a bit off but nothing out of line with other figures at the £20 price point a couple of years ago. Articulation is a bit behind competitors like Hasbro, and for a figure that uses martial arts in the show the lack of movement in the arms and legs is a bit frustrating. Taking all this into account, I score Black Canary (Season 3) a mid range 3 out of 5. #Arrow #BlackCanary #DC #CW #TV #OliverQueen #Merlyn #Review #Action #Figure #Toy

I am a bit of a late arrival to the DC world. Although a fan of the classic Batman and Superman films, I had stayed away from the newer DC stuff - particularly Smallville and later Arrow & Flash. It was Gotham that piqued my interest, and my curiosity of whether DC would now try and emulate Marvel with a linked TV and Cinematic Universe. That brought me rather recently to Arrow and I have just finished Season 1 and started on Season 2. Within a few episodes my collectors instincts kicked in and I decided that I needed some Arrow characters in the collection. The first Arrow figure was released in a 2-pack with Deathstroke and is now commanding a price of over £100 on the secondary market. This figure of Arrow is from Season 2 and is the first of a new wave of Arrow figures which also contain Black Canary, shirtless Oliver Queen and Deathstroke. Having had a good look at the S1 version, there is very little difference between the two figures apart from the face. On S1 the eyes are covered in the green face paint, by S2 this has been replaced by a mask. Arrow is sculpted by Gentle Giant and comes packed in a cardboard box with clear window, similar in ways to that used by Hasbro's Star Wars Black Series. The box also borrows elements from Marvel Select with a lovely side panel depicting Arrow from the show. The rear doesn't give any details of the figure but instead shows the other figures in the range Out of the box and Arrow himself stands a shade under 7" tall, that puts him comparable more to the Neca & DST figures than the 6" Hasbro product - I have dropped in some comparison pictures in the gallery. Arrow comes packed with a very spectacular looking bow, a group of arrows and 2 single arrow.s Starting with the sculpt, and its the usual quality you would expect from Gentle Giant. The face is always crucial and they do capture Stephen Amell in the head sculpt. Down to the outfit and its pretty standard stuff, although once you look closer you will find zips and pockets sculpted onto the jacket and then more prominent details like the wrist arrows, belt and knee straps and the detailing on the boots. Onto paint and that lets down the sculpt a little. The whole figure is pretty much one flat green colour with a touch of wash to bring out the clothing details. The face is OK, but the eyes are too painted too bright and too wide - it looks like you have just surprised Arrow. The lighter green trim on the back of the figure and the legs is well done and pretty neat, and I haven't found any areas of paint bleed. The bow is very nicely done and even includes an elasticated string - more on this shortly. It's painted a bit flat in green and black but fits in with the look of the rest of the figure. The arrows are also well sculpted and painted to a decent standard, particularly with different colours on the flights - one yellow, two green. The arrows sit neatly into a rear quiver, although I am sure they stick up too high and could do with dropping another 20mm or so into the quiver Articulation was always going to be key for Arrow. He is an Archer and therefore the first thing anyone is going to try and do is get him in a shooting position. Try is the operative word here, the arms dont have enough in them into a shooting pose. The bow arm is jointed to stick out at 90 degrees to the figure, but you can't get the other arm into a position to notch the arrow. It is a shame really as the elbow just needed a bit more movement. Having said all that even if the elbow had been fixed the other issue is the head, which can move but moves under the hood - not with it. Therefore Arrow can only look straight ahead with a tiny bit of up & down / side to side movement within the confines of the hood. There is a chest joint to give a bit of side to side movement to the torso but there is no waist articulation. The hips are jointed but when moved out to the side they leave a hideous joint gap. There is a standard back & forth knee joint and same for the ankles (none of my preffered ankle rocker) but saying that Arrow stands pretty well. Overall I am pleased with my latest acquisition and look forward to adding a few more DC Direct figures to the collection (particularly Flash and Deathstroke). Side by side with similar figures from DST then Arrow does the job and is comparable, it is just a shame that archer pose wasn't a number one factor when designing the figure. Arrow is a mid table figure, solid enough but doesnt quite give enough. I have scored Arrow 3 out of 5, but it is a high 3 and a bit more articulation would have pushed it to a 4.

Following our review of Arrow (Season 2) I have now doubled my DC Direct figures by picking up Canary at Film & Figures. I admit I went in for Deathstroke or perhaps the Dark Archer, but they had sold through most figures so I went with Canary and having now opened her up and photographed her I am so glad I did Canary comes in a white window box, with the Arrow logo on the front. There is a nice artwork panel on the left hand side, similar to Diamond Select figures, and a rear panel that shows the 4 figures from this wave (Oliver, Arrow, Deathstroke and Canary). Inside Canary sits in an inner tray which is then sat in a background piece which depicts a panel of Starling City. She comes packed with her bo staff and one sonic grenade. Once out of the box, Canary stands 6 1/2" high putting her shorter than Arrow and therefore the scaling looks great in a multi figure display. The sculpt is again by Gentle Giant and therefore my expectations were high. Starting at the head, the sculpt on the face is really well done with the mask and hair sculpted onto the head. The hair in particular is realistic and flows nicely down Canary's shoulders and back. Her torso is sculpted with a short jacket over her top. Unlike some female characters (think Black Cat in Marvel Legends) she is realistically proportioned and with nice detail trim down to her belt. Turn her round and there is some real attention to detail on her back with the lace up piece of her top. Her arms - which look plain on first glance - contain a number of sculpted panels and very small buckle details.The trousers are trimmed with laces across her thighs and then similar panels and ridged panels down to her knee high boots. All of the sculpt is really well painted. Yes it looks one tone (like Arrow) but within the figure there are different shades on the clothing and the hair is well done with a nice wash and then highlights. The lips have a nice gloss and the eyes, despite being behind the mask are striking. Like Arrow the painting is crisp and no evidence of paint bleed anywhere. Arrow himself was let down a little with articulation, but that is certainly not the case here. Like Arrow the head is articulated but restricted, in this case by her hair. Arms are jointed on the shoulder with full movement out to the side and back and forth. The elbows bend but do only hit about a 70 degree angle - but to be fair that is enough. The wrists both rotate and pivot and all of this allows Canary to get some decent action poses holding her staff. The torso is jointed so gives the figure some sideways movement and a degree of being able to bend her forward and backward. No movement in the waist, but the hips are pretty clear and can achieve a wide range of movement backwards and forward and side to side. With the double knee joint you can get Canary into some action stances and even into some basic crouching poses. The ankles are rocker joints so will give a flat footing to most poses and keep Canary upright. It is difficult to find fault with this figure. If I am going to nit pick its the flat colour of the staff which is moulded in silver so lacks a "bit" of detail. Canary looks great posed alongside Arrow and I suspect this range from Arrow and Flash are going to build up to a nice collection in time. I have thought long and hard about how to score Canary and with very little to fault she deserves our highest 5 out of 5 scoring.

After a long time searching, I picked up my first Mezco Hellboy figure earlier this year at a local Toy Fair. I was blown away by the detail of what was essentially a 10 year old figure (read the review above this one) and so added a couple of eBay searches for figures in the same line to compliment Red. Princess Nuala, from Hellboy II : The Golden Army, pops up quite regularly on the secondary market and a loose version caught my eye recently at a few quid and I jumped in. With the figure now in hand, I must say that it is chalk and cheese compared to my first Hellboy figure. Let's walk through the review and then I will sum up my thoughts. My version was of course loose, but on her release in 2008 she came packed on a pretty impressive deep red card and blister pack (see gallery below). Within the box was a number of accessories - a book, a scroll and a golden pendant/icon. Once you get Nuala in hand you get the first inkling that something is wrong. She is so light and the reason for that is evident when you turn her over and discover the entire body (neck downwards) is one solid hollow piece, similar to those bath toys you get in the £1 shop. At first I went to check I hadn't bought a bootleg, but no this is how Mezco put her out. Nuala stands at 6 3/4" tall which is pretty accurate to her stature in the movie. The sculpt isn't perfect but nor is it a complete disaster. The head is pretty striking from distance - but once you get close up it has none of the detail that was included in the actresses make up in the film. The hair is OK, but doesn't hang naturally against the shoulders, it just kinds of floats wierdly. The dress has some detail - but no-where nearly enough to offset the short cuts taken on the body. Paint is pretty poor. The neck seems completely unpainted for example and the skin is one tone only. The eyes are very heavily lined in black and what could have been some nice gold detail on the dress is lost under a flat bronze colour. There is no washes to speak off and the only positive really is the blending of the light blue to the darker colour on her elbows. Articulation is pretty much a shoulder joint, a head ball joint and swivel wrists - I make that just a poor 5 points of articulation. Scoring wise, this is the lowest figure we have covered (to date) in the archives and I was torn between giving this nothing, and the 1 star I have finally decided on giving Nuala. As a background piece she will be OK, but she certainly has no star quality for any Hellboy collection and I now understand why she is so cheap on the secondary market when the other figures like Wink, Rasputin and Abe Sapien are climbing in price.

Following the initial announcement, McFarlane have now revealed their next Fortnite figures - Rex and Drift Not characters include their signature weapons and will be released in February 2019 FORTNITE DRIFT 7-INCH PREMIUM ACTION FIGURE The Fortnite Series 1 Drift 7-Inch Action Figure features design and paint decos from in-game assets. The Figure is hyper-articulated at over 18 points of articulation: perfect for Emote posing! The Drift figure is showcased in premium glossy Fortnite themed window box packaging and stands tall on a Fortnite branded display base! In Shops: Feb 27, 2019 SRP: $24.99 FORTNITE REX 7-INCH PREMIUM ACTION FIGURE The Fortnite Series 1 Rex 7-Inch Action Figure features design and paint decos from in-game assets. The Figure is hyper-articulated at over 18 points of articulation: perfect for Emote posing! The Rex figure is showcased in premium glossy Fortnite themed window box packaging and stands tall on a Fortnite branded display base!? In Shops: Feb 27, 2019 SRP: $24.99

Masters of the frontier, quick on the trigger and deadly with a blade, Hunters stalk battlefields as if they were hunting prey. Cunning and ruthless, they prize the undiscovered and prepare for the unexpected, channeling their powers by intuition and gut instinct. Highly detailed sculpt of the Hunter modeled from in-game assets Sculpted figure features the Million Million Shader Accessories include Thorn Hand Cannon and Bolt-Caster Sword Fully customizable figure with 14+ points of articulation for dynamic posing Figure comes in window boxed collector packaging and featured on a stylized Destiny branded display base This is a Walmart exclusive figure.

Titans are warriors – heroic defenders of the Light, channeling the gifts of the Traveler to wage war on the Darkness. Steadfast and sure, Titans face any challenge head-on, blunt force instruments of the Traveler’s will. Vault of Glass Titan with Feud Unfading Shader comes equipped with iconic Gjallarhorn rocket launcher, Invective shotgun, and Ghost with the Vanguard Shell. Fully customizable figure with 14+ points of articulation for dynamic posing. Stylized Destiny display base included. Comes with exclusive DLC – a McFarlane Hellspawn emblem! This figure is exclusive at Walmart.

Review : The Monsters Collector Figure Set Doctor Who 5.5" Range (Character Options) Wave/Series : B&M Exclusive Released : July 2017 Price : £16.99 Following the successful sets released exclusively by B&M stores in 2016, a further three sets of Doctor Who 5.5" figures were commissioned for 2017 and hit stores in July 2017. Each set contains 3 figures, all of the 2017 sets are re-released figures but with some tweaks in terms of paint. The price has risen from £14.99 last year to £16.99 this year. But this still represents fantastic value for money. We take a look here at the set entitled "The Monsters". Last year this set contained three classic monsters, this year it is made up of two classic Cyberman and a Sontaran from the modern era. The set is packaged in the same box as were used for the 2016 releases. The box front is a large window through which all three figure are on display against a clockwork and stars blue background - again as used in 2016. The window wraps over at the top onto the top flap. On the three other sides it has a border, with some shaped cutouts to add some differentiating rather than using a straight line. The colour scheme on the box front starts with a pink/orange nebula design at the base. This transitions up the box and gets gradually darker revealing starts and space gasses. To the bottom left sits the Doctor Who logo. Rather than the logo of the current series - the merchandise continues to use the logo established with the 1996 TV movie. To the bottom right is a blue diamond into which sits the contents list of Cyberman, Cyber Controller and Sontaran Skorr. Interestingly this contents list does not follow the order they are displayed in the box. The centre of the bottom rail is then a further blue insert shape containing the name of the set - The Monsters - with the subtitle, Collector Figure Set. The two side spines use the same nebula background and each spine is headed with the Doctor Who logo. The diamond contents list is also repeated on both sides. On the left spine (as you look) the diamond is at the bottom just above a repeat of the set name. The Cyberman and Cyber Controller are pictured on this spine. On the right spine the diamond is at the top of the images, this time the figures pictured are the Sontaran and the Cyber Controller. The right spine also contains some legal print and the BBC logo. The rear of the box gives us a better look at the full background with a lot of stars visible in the top portion of the box. The same white Dr Who logo is prominently positioned in the top left. The Monsters Set in its blue insert sits top right. All three figures are pictured again, but once again the line up doesn't match the way the contents are packed. There is no bio or background info what so ever, only the character name sits under each picture. The only other info on the box rear is another diamond that is positioned to the left next to Skorr. In here is the text "5.5inch /14cm Scale Collector Series". The contents can be reached via either side spine. The inner tray slips out is made up of a cardboard insert, decorated in the blue clockwork backdrop. Into this sits the clear plastic tray. One improvement on last years releases is the decision not to use the large fibre tie wraps to secure the figures. Instead the clear elasticated bands are in play. These will need snipping to get your figure out undamaged. We start with the Cyber Controller. He is based on his 1967 appearance from the 2nd Doctor story Tomb of the Cyberman. The Cyber Controller was arguably one of the rarer of the Doctor Who 5" figures to this point. His only release previously was in a short run wave in 2008 made up of four other Cyberman. You had to get the full wave to collect all the parts to build the Cyber Controller. Despite being nearly 10 years old, the sculpt on the figure is still quite robust and does a good job of imitating the original 1967 costume in figure form. The body is essentially a silver jumpsuit and is trimmed in some tubing up each arm and leg. The tubing is connected with ball structures, these look like indoor cricket balls - which is actually screen accurate in what the BBC costume team used to create the original. The figure is crowned by a domed cyber head which sits on top of the shoulders and rises up to the dome section. If you were being picky the dome itself is too small and too slim, and the base of the neck piece which fits over the shoulders is a tad large. The head piece is painted a dark grey, with a silver trim separating the head from the dome. The dome is a partially translucent orange with grey veins painted across them. Purists will be interesting to note that the head is quite different in terms of colouring from the original 2008 Build-a-Figure. The grey is darker and the silver trim was never painted on the 2008 version. The orange is also darker on the dome and the veining more pronounced. It is clear to see in the above images that this new 2017 release could be seen as a more superior version. The paint differences also preserve, to a degree, the originals rarity. The Cyber Controller comes with no accessories. The articulation is about standard for a Character Option Dr Who release, although thanks to the design of the helmet there is no head movement. The arms rotate at the shoulder but won't move out from the body being on a simple peg only. There is a bicep swivel cut into the arm, but this cant move too much due to the piping. The elbows are simple plugged peg 90 degree joint and the hands are plugged in and therefore rotate. There is waist joint which means the torso can be moved to either side independently of the legs. The legs themselves have a similar joint to the arms and can swing out to a sitting position. The knees are the same simple one way joint. The feet can then be rotated. Next out of the box is the Cyberman. This figure could technically be classed as a new release as it is a clean version of the Cybermen seen in the 1985 6th Doctor story Attack of the Cyberman. We did get an Attack Cyberman in a 2-pack with Peri in 2012. Here the Cyberman was called the Rogue Cyberman. It came with a removable face plate with skull underneath. It also had a more matt silver finish and was weathered in green gloop. In this set the figure is clean and silver and the face plate does not come off. For those who want to compare the figure to the Earthshock release from 2010 can see from the above image that the boots are different. There is also more definition on the helmet with the mouth piece and the eyes which are now black. Sculpt wise, this is as good a Cyberman as you will find in any scale. It is well sculpted, with a whole bunch of details including the webbed pattern on the costume and various wires and piping. The chest piece sits well and the helmet is very well proportioned, with those black eyes giving a more menacing look. The Cyberman comes with a weapon. This is a repaint of the Earthshock version but it still comes with the strap. The weapon is well designed with plenty of paint application on such a small item. The strap is an issue however as it is too stiff and doesn't really sit naturally in any pose or even when slung. Articulation is identical to the Cyber Controller, with the head also locked in place. Here the bicep swivel does add some value as it is not restricted by any piping or wiring. With two Classic villains in the set, and both Cyberman, it seems an odd choice to make the third figure a Sontaran - and a modern Sontaran at that. Commander Skorr was originally released in 2009 within the Series 4 releases. The sculpt is unchanged from this 2009 release and the figure still comes with removable helmet. But while the sculpt is unchanged, the paint on this new B&M version is hugely superior. The armour is more silvery and metallic and the head is a thing of beauty with much more definition while looking less "orange". It also seems to sit a little higher in the armour so it is more visible when Skorr is displayed without his helmet. The other seemingly improvement over the 2009 version is the joints which are much tighter. The original Sontaran's suffered terribly from floppy joints and were difficult to stand. With the tighter joints, Skorr is easier to pose and stand although you still have to be mindful of the figure being so top heavy and the feet being a little too rounded to sit flush to the floor. Skorr comes with the same matt black Gun that the Sontarans came with in 2009. While being screen accurate, it is a pig to fit into the figures hands for posing. The helmet on the other hand is far better engineered. It is shaped perfectly to sit in the neck piece, with a grove to line it up when its being worn. The eye visors are opaque, allowing some visuals of the head beneath. Articulation gets a few extra bells and whistles on Skorr. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder, allowing Skorr's arms to move out to the side with his huge shoulder pads moving with the arms. You can also feel a ball joint at the waist, this means not only can the torso be rotated, but the whole torso can lean back or forward or even to the side if needed. The legs are also two way so Skorr can do the splits or sit down. There is a thigh swivel cut on the legs, and rather than rotating feet, these are on a ball joint so can be swiveled and posed in a number of angles. There are a few things to consider when summarising this set. Firstly, these are the only 5" figures on sale on the high street - so a big thank you to B&M for making these happen at a time when there are no real 5" releases to be had. The price is also competitive and even though it has gone up by £2 from last year, it still works out at £5.66 a figure. The paint on each is improved, with Skorr much transformed by his new paint job. On the negative side, these are all essentially re-releases. And while the Cyber figures are much sought after, the inclusion of Skorr doesn't really make a great deal of sense. When rating I look at all these factors, and line the sets up against the others in the series. While there is a couple of new paint jobs here, there is nothing drastically new. But on the flip side there are no quality issues wither (as plagued the Monster Set last year). I therefore award the 2017 Monster Set a 4 out of 5.

Review : The Tenth Doctor Collector Figure Set Doctor Who 5.5" Range (Character Options) Wave/Series : B&M Exclusive Released : July 2016` Price : £14.99 For new Doctor Who 5" scale collectors you can't go far wrong with the B&M exclusive 3-packs that are currently on sale at £14.99 in B&M stores.... yes you ready right, £14.99 for 3 figures. In this review we take a look at the 10th Doctor Collector Set which contains a 10th Doctor era Cyberman, Vashta Nerada and the 10th Doctor himself. The set arrives in a window box, and this packaging is a match to the current packaging being used on the 5 inch Who figures across other retailers like Toys R Us and Forbidden Planet. That means you can pick this one up and it will fit in perfectly with other boxed figures. The front of the box is a pink/purple hue of a vortex or a nebula in space that then darkens up towards the top of the box into a star-scape. The window is cut out to display the figures in their entirety and they are set against a blue clockwork background. The Dr Who logo sits in bold white to the bottom left, and the character names in a blue diamond to the bottom right. The centre blue panel confirms the name of the box set as The Tenth Doctor Collector Figure Set. The window wraps round the top of the box, and here the Who logo and box set name is repeated, along with a Character Option website flash in pink with white text. The two sides hold the Who logo again at the top and the box set name and character names at the bottom. In between these are two images of the figures themselves. The Doctor appears on both spines, with the Cyberman accompanying him on the left, while the right shows the Vashta Nerada. The back of the box is a little disappointing as it again uses the white Who logo the two blue panels confirming the contents and set name - and then just three large images of the figures. There is no blurb or background - nor is there even an indication of from which story each figure is taken. The Cyberman The Cyberman sculpt has been around since 2006 now, and while it is limited in articulation it does look the part. This version is a re-release obviously, but is a mash up of the Cybus Cyberman with the C logo on the chest - combined with the weapon that was originally packed with the blue 11th Doctor carded Cyberman with the plain circular logo (as seen in A Good Man Goes to War). This figure could therefore be a representation of the gun toting converted Yvonne Hartman from Doomsday. Either way the sculpt still holds up despite it's age, and as with a lot of these B&M figures the paint application seems a lot smoother and crisper with some nice variations across the midriff in particular to give him a bit of character and weathering. The gun is cast in a matt black plastic and lacks any paint job that was included on the first release. Where the figure shows his age is the articulation. The arms are a simple rotating shoulder, and the elbow a pegged 90 degree joint. This leaves the Cyberman with very limited movement and there is no chance of a double handed weapon pose and it isn't too keen on holding the provided gun in one hand, there is a knack to getting it posed. Like the arms the legs are also a rotating hip, with a pegged knee. This allows the figure to sit if you wish. The only other movement is in the head which rotates to either side on a peg, but with no up and down movement. The Doctor Like the Cyberman, the 10th Doctor has also been around since 2006. And despite an updated head sculpt more recently, this set still goes with the older head. Albeit that this head is improved this time round with the paint as I mentioned earlier. This paint improvement is also seen on the suit with neater pin stripes and a much tidier tie design. Like the Cyberman, the articulation is very limited to 9 points of articulation. The head is pegged and rotates only. The shoulders and hips are then a pegged joint into the torso, with the elbows and knees then a pegged one way joint. There isn't even a thigh or bicep joint that was added on the later figures to try and help sideways movement of the arms and legs. This all leaves The Doctor limited to a very neutral pose. The oddest choice with The Doctor, considering the Cyberman got his gun, is to exclude a Sonic Screwdriver. This leaves The Doctor with a sculpted right hand to hold the screwdriver, but nothing to put in it. The Vashta Nerada The Vashta Nerada is the biggest plus of this 3 figure set. Not only was it relatively scarce when it was first released on the Series 4 cards, but it is also a pretty great looking figure. The basic premis of the Vasta Nerada is that they are an invisible alien controlling the bones of a dead human within a space suit. And the figure does just that with a pretty realistic human skull set back behind a very clear helmet visor. The paint is also improved on this third figure, with the skull really well detailed with paint application and with more pronounced lines down the suit. The articulation is also a touch better than the other two. It does lose head articulation due to the helmet, but gains the bicep swivel which allows the arms to bend inward if you wish - although doing so does ruin the lines of the arm. In Summary So yes these are three recycled figures, but they have been improved by better paint applications vs the earlier releases. At £5 per figure they are exceptional value for money, and the only real downside is the lack of articulation and the missing Dr's screwdriver. I award the 10th Doctor Collector's Set from B&M a 4 out of 5.

Review : The Classic Enemies Collector Figure Set Doctor Who 5.5" Range (Character Options) Wave/Series : B&M Exclusive Released : July 2016` Price : £14.99 Before we say anything else about this new 3-pack of Doctor Who 5" figures we have to comment on how unbelievable this piece is in terms of value for money. Toys R Us for example are selling one figure presently for £14.99 and a lot of these are re-releases or repaints of figures from up to 10 years ago. This set, exclusive to B&M in the UK, contains 3 figures for the same £14.99 price tag. That's a fiver a figure. What a brilliant price and an excellent opportunity for the next younger generation of Who fans to get a taste of the 5" range. The Classic Enemies boxset (titled simply The Monsters on the box) was the one of three releases in 2016 - the other two being a 3rd Doctor Set and a 10th Doctor Set. The Classic Enemies set was a repack of three Classic figures from the original run of the Classic Doctor Who figures from Character Options. The Zygon, the Ice Warrior and the Invasion Cyberman. The set arrives in a window box, and this packaging is a match to the current packaging being used on the 5 inch Who figures across other retailers like Toys R Us and Forbidden Planet. That means you can pick this one up and it will fit in perfectly with other boxed figures. The front of the box is a pink/purple hue of a vortex or a nebula in space that then darkens up towards the top of the box into a star-scape. The window is cut out to display the figures in their entirety and they are set against a blue clockwork background. The Dr Who logo sits in bold white to the bottom left, and the character names in a blue diamond to the bottom right. The centre blue panel confirms the name of the box set as The Monsters Figure Set. The window wraps round the top of the box, and here the Who logo and box set name is repeated, along with a Character Option website flash in pink with white text. The two sides hold the Who logo again at the top and the box set name and character names at the bottom. In between these are two images of the figures themselves. The Cyberman appears on both spines. On the right with the Cyberman is the Zygon. To the left is the Ice Warrior. The back of the box is a little disappointing as it again uses the white Who logo the two blue panels confirming the contents and set name - and then just three large images of the figures. There is no blurb or background - nor is there even an indication of from which story each figure is taken. Once unpacked the figures are packed into a clear plastic tray, with the figures held in with cotton wraps. The tray sits on top of a very visual blue clockwork backdrop. The Ice Warrior One of the iconic Doctor Who villains, the Ice Warrior is a welcome addition to this set having not been seen on store shelves since its original release in 2010. The Ice Warrior stands 5 3/4" high, and carries a significant bulk and weight as you would expect from the lumbering giants we see in the show. The sculpt is based on their original appearance in the 1967 story "The Ice Warriors". There is a really beautiful texture across the figure, from the scales around the head and either side of the central chest - to the ridged central chest piece. There are little fronds of hair or fur round the neck area and at the various joints on both arms and legs. The hands are vicious looking two pronged claws, while in contrast the feet are pretty plain. There is a nice feature build into the head where there are two openings where the ears would be. These can let in light and create a glowing effect in the deep red eyes of the Warrior. I must mention at this point some quality issues with this 2016 release. Straight out of the box the feet popped off with little effort and continued to do so as my son and I played with these ahead of reviewing them. In the end they had to be glued in place. This was not an issue with the original 2010 release and could indicate some material or constructional changes in this set. There is certainly no real visual differences, with the paint apps and sculpt almost identical to the original version. Articulation starts with a rotating head. There is then the novelty for Doctor Who 5" figures of a ball jointed shoulder. This allows the arms to move out and to rotate round, although rotation stops about 90 degrees round as the shoulder armour blocks the arm going any further. The arms are also jointed at the elbow and then the clawed hands rotate. The hips feel more than a single joint, perhaps a ball, but they move very little being locked in by the lower armour of the Warrior. A thigh split does nothing other than ruin the lines of the legs. With no hip movement, the knees can't really do much in terms of posing - but they are jointed to bend 90 degrees. The feet rotate, but as I said earlier these may well pop out far too easily when they are moved. The Invasion Cyberman The Invastion Cyberman was first released in 2009 as part of the Age of Steel wave. It would later be repacked in a 3 pack which was first sold in Tesco, and latterly went into B&M around 2012. Ironically B&M are now pretty much the main outlet of Doctor Who 5" figures in the mainstream UK market, and they have brought back the Invasion Cyberman as a pack in for this Monsters box set. The Cyberman stands 5 3/4" high, comparable to the Ice Warrior in the same set. It is sculpted to the design we saw terrorising London in the 1968 story, The Invasion. We start with what is now the iconic Cyberman head. The sculpt lacks a bit of definition and the eyes are not deep or defined enough, and the lines around the sides of the helmet are not crisps. The figure also suffers from misshapen handlebars, although the issue we had in 2009 of them sticking out too much is not a problem on this 2016 re-release. Like the Ice Warrior, there are quality issues with the figure - and mine came with some flaking metallic paint right on the face plate. The whole figure is coloured in this silver down the retro zipped top and into those trousers with their pipe trim. The only other colour is found on the chest box where two panels are painted back and a central one is cast as a clear plastic. Articulation on the Cyberman is standard for the 2009 era Who figures. While it doesn't look like it can move, the head is jointed and can turn a few degrees either side. The arms are a single rotating shoulder - with no lateral movement outwards. There is then a single jointed elbow and a rotating hand. The hips are locked in by the lower part of the tunic but they do swing outwards to give some wider stance. There is no thigh swivel, so we go into a single joint knee and a rotating ankle. The original Invasion Cyberman did pack the figure with a weapon and a cyber-mat - neither are included here. Aside from the paint quality isssues, there is no significant difference between the 2009 release and this 2016 repack. The Zygon The original Zygon was part of the first wave of Doctor Who Classic figures in 2008. He is sculpted to match Broton, the lead Zygon in their only classic appearance in the 1975 4th Doctor story - Terror of the Zygons. When originally sculpted the Character Options sculptors went down the route of matching the onscreen details rather than reinterpreting the figure as "real". We therefore get a microphone sculpted into the chest. The rest of the figure is a mass of suckers and fleshy detail, with the large over-sized domed head and its beady eyes and nose peering out at the bottom. The figure is shorter than the other two in the set, standing 5 1/2" high. He is however the best painted, with a deep orange base coat and then layers of washing and dry brushing to create the look. This paint job is also considerably different to the original release - enough for collectors to potentially want both versions. The main difference is the darkness of the colouration on the newer version, although the facial details are less defined. Like the other figures we have quality issues here too - this time with the hands which pop off with barely any movement. Articulation is locked at the head so we start at the shoulders. On the figure we are reviewing both shoulders are stuck. They should rotate (no lateral movement outwards) but both feel stuck and we didn't want to force them and break them. The arms have a single elbow joint and that pegged hand with rotates. The legs are two way jointed so they swing out to a sitting position, or to the side to a splits position. As the Zygon is not restricted by the outfit or any armour there is a good range of leg movement, but nothing you would want to pose. The knees are a single joint and we finish with a rotating ankle. As was the case with the original release, the feet aren;t bit enough or flat enough to keep the figure upright - and with that huge head and upper weight you will find standing your Zygon frustrating. The original figure came with a communicator accessory. That is not included in this set Summary Now as we said at the start, for £5 a figure you can't really go wrong with this set. It is however the only one of the three we have had any quality issues with. I would be interested to here if this was the case for other collectors - or we were unlucky. There is no doubt that this gives us three classic Monsters back onto the market, and gives new collectors (like mini-Meph) to own these without having to pay inflated secondary market prices. I really do applaud B&M for going with these sets and keeping the price low for the kids and collectors alike. I can't overlook quality issues with all figures, and the accessories missing are a shame as they were episode specific to the characters. I score the Monsters (Classic Enemies) a 3 out of 5 score.