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Hasbro certainly spread out their new product reveals across NYCC 2018, with a final panel on the final day revealing another five Black Series 6 inch figures for 2019 release. While the long overdue prequel reveals were held back (perhaps for MCM London or Paris Comic Con), there was a surprise in that the much loved comic book character Doctor Aphra would be joining the 6 inch line, and of course you can't have Doctor Aphra without her droids BT-1 and 0-0-0. The figures are not a direct scale up from the 3.75 inch releases and have their own tooling. Aphra will include a removable flight helmet, while 0-0-0 has alternative "murder hands" and the protocol droid body has been adjusted to include articulated elbows. There were also two further exclusive figures confirmed for 2019, the first of which we had seen before in one of the Hasbro Star Wars diorama displays - the slicked back hair Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper disguise. This amended look for Luke is as per his appearance in the Trash Compactor. The figure will include removable helmet and Stormtrooper weapon. This figure is exclusive to Target in the US. We also get a new Rebels character, but not Zeb sadly. This is the Imperial Rocket Trooper as seen across a number of Rebels episodes. The figure borrows heavily from the Stormtrooper sculpt with updated arm piece, helmet and backpack. He comes with a blaster more akin to the Clone Wars era. This figure is another Gamestop Exclusive in the US. For UK customers we expect both these exclusives to be offered via the usual stores. It was confirmed that both Luke Stormtrooper disguise and the Rocket Trooper would include the triangular foot stands we see in the promotional images. These are apparently a trial to see if this is something Hasbro should include in all packs - and potentially make available to collectors as bulk sets?

Welcome to our review of Black Widow from the 2018 Avengers Infinity War wave. Black Widow was packed in the Cull Obsidian Build-a-Figure line alongside Thor from the Infinity War movie as well as Wasp and Ant-Man from Ant-Man and the Wasp. The other two figures in the wave were comic book based releases of Malekith and The Black Knight Packaging 3/5 The Infinity War packaging employs a purple hue to the artwork either side of the standard Legends window box, with a deep yellow exploding card back behind the figure with the Avengers "A" in the middle. The side artwork for Widow is well executed and a good likeness for Scarlet Johansson. Our review copy was purchased off the shelf in Asda in the UK. For some reason the Asda sold Infinity War figures have had a black sticker placed over the age rating? They are also subject to intrusive tags - thankfully our Widow had escaped the adhesive tag. Round the back of the box we get a slightly unflattering image of the figure. This promo art doesnt paint an accurate picture of the figure, and as we will see the head sculpt and paint is much more impressive in hand. To the side of this sits a short piece of text talking about Widow as an "agent of espionage", the wording is quite odd and doesn't seem to fit too well with how Widow is portrayed in the movie - it is as though the text is being taken from some older comic based bio? Underneath the image and text is the Build-a-Figure checklist detailing the parts that make up the Cull Obsidian figure. "An agent of espionage and expert in hand-to-hand combat, Black Widow is trained to take out any enemy of justice" Widow comes out via either of the two side flaps. For some reason, and for the first time in a long while, Widow is actually strapped into the inner packaging with clear elasticated twisty ties. These can always rub or scratch paint work so a heads up they are there. Sculpt & Paintwork 4/5 Despite the unflattering image on the back of the box, the likeness in hand to Scarlet Johansson is exquisite, another fantastic female face likeness delivered by the face print technology. The skin tone is spot on, and not as glossy as the images here (and on the box) make out. The eyes are extremely realistic and the lips a natural tone - not the bright pink we've seen on earlier MCU Widow figures. The hair is a second piece, so there is a touch of a gap at the hairline. This is very subtly washed with a darker blonde over the top to add some depth to the hair. The outfit is good and the body shape much more realistic than some of the earlier Widow figures. The vest is a green tone with black painted panels and some silver detail on the zips. Sadly they didn't go all the way (as seen on the packaging) and the front facing clips and straps are all left unpainted and this is a shame. The rest of the suit is essentially black plastic, but there is a texture to this and appropriate breaks via straps in a grey tone. The stingers are sculpted around her wrist and these are picked out in silver. There is also a belt with holsters that is cast in grey plastic. The vest is removable as it is clipped in place on her left side. Once off there is a full sculpted jump suit underneath and this looks all new rather than re-using the older body. The head can be swapped with the older red headed Widow, although sadly it sits too high on the neck. The other issue if you pop the vest off is that it is very hard to clip back n place and the side section has a habit of flicking open now which is annoying. Widow comes with an alternative set of closed "punching" fists. These swap in and out really easily with a satisfying click as they are positioned in the wrists. Articulation 4/5 Widow has a slightly disappointing 16 points of articulation. The lower half is really good with ball jointed hips, thigh swivel, double jointed knees and ankle rockers. The main body is also pretty mobile with a ball joint pivot head/neck and a ball joint built into the waist which rotates and leans forward and backward. The arms, like all female Legend figures, are sadly lacking with only a ball jointed shoulder, single joint rotating elbow and wrist peg. This lack of mobility in the arms will impact later on when using her staff - although there are some good fighting and action stances possible with what's available. I wonder how long we will wait for double jointed arms on Legends female characters? Accessories 4/5 The first accessories that come with Widow are a little odd in that they are essentially two shaped pieces of black plastic. Having looked at these I can only assume they are some form of taser that Widow was going to use in Infinity War, but something that never made the main movie. The tasers are handed and marked as Left and Right and are designed to slot into the thigh holsters. While they are a bit odd in terms of context to the movie they do look pretty good filling those holsters. Accessory number two is the black and silver staff that Widow does utilise in Infinity War. This arrives a little warped as it is cast in a softer plastic. Like the Tasers it is cast in black plastic, with silver rings painted around its lengths. It slots into Widow's hand well enough, with both gripping hands holding tight around the staff - sadly it is here we see the limitation of the elbows as the posing is a little stiff with staff in hand. The staff does come apart to make two batons, and with these in hand the posing becomes more dynamic. The one thing missing for me is a holster on Widow's back to hose the batons. Summary At this point, Widow is up there with the best of the Infinity War releases to date. While some of the male characters have not had brilliant facial likenesses - the female characters are knocking it out of the park, and Widow is one of the best to date alongside the Evangeline Lilly Wasp head sculpt. The outfit is pretty good, but it is missing a few paint apps on the vest - and what makes that worse is that these are shown on the promo image used on the back of the packaging. Accessories are a mixed bag, with the tasers not being seen on screen. And while the staff is good, it does need some work to straighten it out. Articulation is as good as any other female Marvel Legends figure, but is still lacking with the elbows in particular. I score Infinity War Black Widow a 4 out of 5.

Diamond Select Toys have released details of a new licencing agreement to produce products based on the life of Bruce Lee. This will include a number of statues, but it is the Select figures that have piqued our interest. The first items will be launched in 2019. Bruce Lee’s Legacy Lives On With New Products from Diamond Select Toys For decades, Bruce Lee has fascinated the world with his groundbreaking martial arts style, philosophical outlook and his on-screen charisma. Now, Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC, is partnering with his family to produce a line of collectibles that will pay tribute to the man and his legacy. Scheduled for release starting in 2019, DST has planned a line of products that depict the legend at various stages in his life, in some of his most iconic looks. Categories will include Select action figures, Gallery PVC dioramas, Vinimates vinyl figures, Minimates mini-figures, D-Formz vinyl figures, resin busts and statues. The first item to be offered will be a Gallery PVC diorama depicting him in action, executing one of his trademark forms. “Being given the opportunity to work with the Lee family is truly an honor,” said DST president Chuck Terceira. “Bruce Lee is one of the biggest icons of the 20th – and 21st – century, so I look forward to being able to help bring the spirit and memory of Bruce into the homes of fans everywhere. Lots of designwork and discussion have gone into making our offerings unlike any Bruce Lee products that have been seen before.“ Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC, is a mid-sized company dedicated to creating pop-culture items for collectors of all ages. In operation since 1999, “DST” sells to major US chains, as well as independent retailers worldwide through its sister company Diamond Comic Distributors. Its product output is diverse, spanning over a dozen different collectible categories and price points; that and its broad licensing spectrum have earned the company its motto, “The Best of All Worlds.” Licensors include Disney, Universal, Fox, Warner Bros., Sony, Electronic Arts, Lionsgate, Legendary and more.

Hasbro have shared images of their next two Legends Riders releases - Professor X and his hover chair and Deadpool with his Scooter. Professor X will include an alternative Cerebro head, while Deadpool will be accompanied by Dogpool and Squirrelpool. The Hasbro team seem to taking a leaf out of some of the Far East companies by including spare heads in these sets that can be used to update other figures. Included with Professor X is a Shadow King head that will fit into the King Pin build-a-figure. With Deadpool you get a Hydra Bob head for use on the Hydra Soldier figure.

Todd McFarlane has revealed the first prototype in the McFarlane range of 7 inch figures from the hugely successful Fortnite video game. Cuddle Team Leader will be packed with a Unicorn hobby horse accessory as well as a gun, bow and figure stand. The figure is one of four planned for the first wave, with a second wave also shown on the rear of the packaging along with role play items.

Promotional images have been unveiled for the Kaiyodo Yamaguchi Revoltech Deathstroke shown a few months back at Wonder Con 2018. The figure is super articulated and comes with an alternative unmasked Slade Wilson head sculpt, complete with eye-patch. There is also an eye-watering array of weapons for you to choose from. Deathstroke is due for a January 2019 release. UK customers can order direct from Hobbylink Japan for £44.10 plus delivery. Be mindful that the figure will however be liable for import tax on arrival in the UK.

New on the Pegs this week in The Entertainer are some new items from both Star Wars (Hasbro) and DC's Aquaman (Mattel). For Aquaman we have the basic 6 inch scale figures at £10 each. These are carded and are being merchandised around the Marvel / DC Superhero area. The store we visited had Aquaman, Orm and Black Manta.. The first wave should also include Mera and Murk. To the side of these we then had the large ride on Shark with Aquman figure. This was priced at £29.99. There is a further set with Vulko due out in November which may also make its way to The Entertainer. These are not yet available online The Star Wars offer continues with Black Series 6 inch at £11 (Solo wave, blue-line Obi-Wan etc) and the 3.75 inch Black Series at £5 each. Two new additions are the Emperors Throne Room 3-pack of basic 5 POA figures. This contains an Emperor, Imperial Royal Guard and Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight and is a fantastic £9.99. These won't last long at that price, and there are stocks online HERE The other new addition was the large 18 inch Jakks Pacific Mudtrooper from Solo. This was priced at just £10.

The Friday panel at NYCC saw Hasbro's Patrick Schneider and Steve Evans show off two new Vintage Collection 3.75 inch figures for 2019. The first was Han Solo in Stormtrooper armour from A New Hope. The figure includes face print technology and a removable helmet. The upper section is also retooled from the previous Stormtrooper release. Han Stormtrooper disguise will be exclusive to Target in the US and most likely available via general independents across the rest of the world. The second reveal will be the 41st Elite Clonetrooper, a repaint and re-use of the older Black Series figure - but now with accurate paint job. This figure is going to be available first via Entertainment Earth (a theme with lots of Hasbro releases this year at NYCC) and a shared online exclusive - making it pretty easy to obtain.

We saw the first Archive figures at SDCC but we can now see how these look on their blister cards. Each figure will be presented on these black and white "Archive" cards, and the packaging will not change for this line. On the back of each card is a reference to their original release with an image of the original packaging and a reference to the colour packaging in use (orange, blue, red) and a year of original release. While Luke Skywalker X-Wing pilot is still coming, he was not shown during this presentation.

NECA may not be exhibiting at NYCC but they aren't letting that get in the way of new reveals and announcements. Here is the packaging layout for the Bride of Chucky two pack. The set includes both Chucky and Tiffany with three head options for each. You also get appropriate weapons including spades, an axe, knives, handgun and champagne bottle. The set is due late December and UK pricing is around the £54.99 mark. "This Ultimate action figure 2-pack includes Chucky and Tiffany, who features a fabric skirt and an extra set of removable arms so she can wear her iconic leather jacket. The set also includes tons of accessories to recreate the movie’s best scenes: 6 interchangeable heads, 2 shovels, 2 pistols, 2 knives, bottle, baster, necklace and more! The figures stand 4″ tall and have over 20 points of articulation."

Hasbro and Entertainment Earth have confirmed a number of new Star Wars 3.75 inch products going on sale exclusively first at Entertainment Earth from November 2018 onwards. These are all items we've seen leaked or announced before, but with no confirmation of who would be picking them up - we would assume some were originally planned as Toys R Us Exclusives. While the word exclusive is used, these are essentially early access in some cases through EE and these may get a wider release at a later date. The Island Journey Rey (marked on promo image as a Walmart exclusive) is up first. Followed by two 5POA items, the C-3PO and R2-D2 2-pack and the Red A-Wing set complete with Pilot. These can all be ordered now via the Entertainment Earth website along with some other Star Wars items including some new 1:1 scale Lightsaber replicas.

NECA have revealed this new image of their Ultimate Stripe figure from Gremlins, complete with his skateboard.