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Pros : Great sculpt. Nice big figure consistent with his appearance Cons : Is a BAF so harder to get in this format. Paint is a little bland in places While there had been Marvel Legends MCU releases prior to 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy wave was the first wave that had a majority of MCU figures in its makeup and the first MCU build-a-figure in the guise of Groot. Collectors had to purchase all six figures to complete Groot. That included the four MCU Guardians of Star Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Groot. The wave was then rounded out by comic book based figures of Space Iron-Man and Nova. With all six parts obtained, the figure is a plug and click assembly. Once built, Groot is an impressive figure not only in height but also int he depth of sculptural detail. The head is very expressive, without being specifically expressive (if that makes sense) and is a fantastic likeness to Groot from his 2014 debut in Guardians. The eyes make the figure for me and actually look old and ancient. The top of the head is sculpted with bark and new growth and this circles the head but leaves a blank space in the centre Size wise and Groot stands just under 9" tall which dwarfs the standard MCU figures. Groot's height seems to flex through the film, but the figure is pretty spot on against that now iconic police style line-up. The sculpt that was so impressive on the head does carry on down the body and into the arms and legs. This is however just cast in brown plastic and has just the briefest touches of green and a lighter brown wash to bring out this detail. This does make Legends Groot look a lot lighter than on screen Groot and the addition of a dark brown / black wash to flow into the recesses would have done the figure wonders. While Groot is a big figure and a BAF, he does still carry a good amount of articulated joints - 16 in total. The main trunk of the figure includes a ball jointed head and a ball jointed torso. This furthers the expressive nature of the figure as you can hunch Groot forward, or lean him back as well as cock his head to either side. The arms start with ball jointed shoulders with a bicep swivel underneath. The elbows are then double-jointed allowing the arms to pretty much fold in on themselves. The arms end with a jointed wrists with a pivot which means the hand can rotate and be pivoted forward. The legs are less manoeuvrable. They start with ball jointed hips and then a single jointed knee. The legs terminate with ankle rockers under those huge tree root legs. Standing Groot is not an issue and he can be posed and remains standing in numerous poses. Save a wash of paint, Groot is a fantastic figure with a beautifully expressive sculpt and articulation to match. He adds some real height and depth to your display and the only pity is he only appeared in a single movie in this form. The BAF version is getting a touch harder to find now, particularly the Rocket piece. But there is an alternative for collectors with the Toys R Us exclusive "Evolution of Groot" being available for now (pending Toys R Us closures) at retail price. For me this tweeked Toys R Us version misses the emotion of this release as it gets an alternative smiling head. In this form I score the BAF Groot a solid 4 out of 5.

Mezco have opened US pre-orders for their One:12 Collective Blade figures, and with this the promotional imagery for the figure. Blade is essentially comic book based, but does obviously borrow a lot of visual elements from the Wesley Snipes Blade movies. Blade comes with two head options, one of which is a very impressive Vampire snarling version. You can choose to use the sunglasses on either head and the body can also be adjusted furher with a variety of hand options. THe hands all have different uses to hold the myriad of accessories which include guns, boomerangs, stakes and a sword with a working sheath. You also get some nuzzle effects to slot into the weapons. There is also the standard figure display stand He will arrive in the final quarter of 2018, and will cost the standard $80 with $20 being a non-refundable deposit if you order now from Mezco in the US. Independent pre-orders are starting to crop up in the UK, checkout our partners Toys in the Attic and Kapow. The One:12 Collective Blade figure features two intricately detailed head portraits: an unwelcoming scowl and a bloodcurdling roar. No details were overlooked when designing the infamous daywalker. His outfit boasts a leather-like black trench coat with an integrated wire for dynamic posing, as well as a tailored three-quarter sleeve t-shirt and motorcycle style pants. Blade comes well-equipped to hunt down creatures of the night with accessories including a customized submachine gun with removable magazines, a pump action shotgun, his signature sword with removable sheath, collapsible throwing blades, striking stakes, and of course, sunglasses. Eric Brooks was being born when a vampire attacked his mother during childbirth, passing on a series of enzymes that transformed Eric into a Dhampir – a being tainted by a vampire’s kiss, but not converted. Now infused with all of a vampire’s powers but few of their weaknesses and determined to avenge his mother’s death, Eric Brooks arms himself with weapons that are fatal to the undead and fashioned himself into the vampire hunter known as Blade.

The big UK news this week in terms of store finds was the Marvel Legends Infinity War Wave 1 figures arriving at Asda stores. Not only that, but they were sub £19 with a price tag of £18.97 per figure. I confirmed this myself in Bolton where the full wave was on shelf. Working to a budget I went with Proxima Midnight and Iron-Spider and hope to go back for more later. It seems these figures aren't in every Asda, and in deed I had tried two others before Horwich and found nothing, not even a label. The best guide I can give is that Horwich is listed as a Supercentre on the Asda Store Locator. Other stores are then designated Superstore or Supermarket. I would hazard a guess that the figures are part of an expanded range of Toys in these larger Supercentres.

Diamond Select have revealed these packaged images of their upcoming 7" Select Black Panther movie figure. The packaging is the standard Select oversized blister, but with a very vibrant yellow theme with blue trimming and side art. It is also nice to see that the MCU figures do not seem to have followed suit with other recent Select releases such as Ghostbusters and Gotham where the sideart has changed to a figure image. The figure is due for release next month (May) in the US. In terms of UK distribution we have to assume a similar situation to the last few releases which are taking an additional 4-6 weeks to hit UK stockists.

NECA have shared the first look at the packaging layout and design for their 8" The Fog Captain Blake figure. Still sometime to go as the figure isn't due for release until end of 2018.

The 3rd annual Alien Day takes place on the 26th April 2018. To celebrate we are running our third annual fans choice to pick the Top 10 figures from NECA's 7" Alien line. Rather than list every release to date we take the previous years Top 10 and combine this with all the figures released since the previous vote - that gives us 32 entries for 2018 from which you the fans and collectors can choose your favourite 3. The voting starts on the 15th April and closes on 25th of April. We will then reveal the Top 10 on Alien Day itself. Click on the image below, or CLICK HERE to visit the voting page All shares, tags and votes are appreciated

Happy #SatTOYday! CLICK HERE for this week's issue This week we should have officially seen a wealth of new Solo product in our stores, but the UK (and a lot of the US) appears to have been overlooked. Instead we can look at the new Solo Star Wars product announcements including a new Chewbacca in both SH Figuarts and Black Series Mezco give us our cover figure with their One:12 Popeye, and checkout the details of their Friday the 13th Part 3 Jason Voorhees. The march to Infinity War continues with official images of the 2nd wave of Legends. And companies are even turning their eye to the Ant-Man sequel with SH Figuarts confirming a 1/12 Ant-Man, and for UK and US fans an Ant on which he can ride www.facebook.com/mephitsu www.twitter.com/mephitsu www.issuu.com/mephitsu

McFarlane have announced, via Comicbook.com, three new 7" scale Walking Dead Action figures for release in September 2018. The first of the trio is Maggie as seen in her season 8 costume. The figure is modeled directly from actor Lauren Cohan and comes with a pistol and working holster. We then get a new Rick Grimes, now in his Season 8 blue shirt outfit. Again, the figure uses modeling of the actor Andrew Lincoln. He comes with a Colt Python, Rifle and Hatchet. The Colt pistol will fit into a working holster. Our final figure is Negan. And McFarlane have given the character a whole new sculpt modeled from actor Jeffery Dean Morgan. Of course Negan comes with his baseball bat Lucille as well as a knife which will slot into a working sheath. The figures will now be released on "collector blister card" a move away from the boxes McFarlane have been using. The figures all have 14 points of articulation. Cost wise should be around, or possibly under, £20 here in the UK. US RRP is $19.99 MAGGIE: A staple of the series since season 2, Maggie has joined Rick Grimes and company in a quest of survival. Since joining forces with Rick she has shared in the perils facing the most violent of enemies, losing her family and becoming a widow, Maggie has withstood it all. Maggie has faced every challenge this world has thrown at her and have evolved along the into the strong, brave and fearless leader the Hilltop Colony needs. FIRST ever McFarlane Toys 7-inch scale Maggie figure ALL NEW Highly detailed sculpt of Maggie modeled from actor Lauren Cohan Figure features authentic in-show weapon pistol Figure features workable holster for weapon placement Customizable figure with 14+ points of articulation for dynamic posing Featured in iconic season 8 "All Out War" outfit as seen in the hit TV series Features hyper-realistic paint for uncanny character likeness Figure featured in branded collector blister card packaging RICK GRIMES: Rick Grimes has just about seen it all. The story has followed him since he awoke from a coma to find the world he knew, crumbled by the living dead. Rick has seen tragedy and triumph over the years always doing whatever it takes to keep him and his group safe, but he is currently facing a threat like nothing he has ever encountered, Negan. ALL NEW Highly detailed 7” sculpt of Rick Grimes modeled from actor Andrew Lincoln Figure features authentic in-show weapons: Rick's iconic Colt Python, and a heavy duty rifle, and hatchet Figure features workable holster for weapon placement Customizable figure with 14+ points of articulation for dynamic posing Featured in iconic season 8 "All Out War" outfit as seen in the hit TV series Features hyper-realistic paint for uncanny character likeness NEGAN: One of the most iconic villains in television history brings a menacing demeanor with a weapon to match. Negan, the leader of The Saviors carries his trusted weapon of choice, Lucille, a baseball bat adorned in barbed wire. No matter what Rick Grimes and his crew do, no one is safe when Negan comes around wielding Lucille. ALL NEW Highly detailed 7” sculpt of Negan modeled from actor Jeffery Dean Morgan Figure features authentic in-show weapons a knife and the legendary Lucille baseball bat adorned in barbed wire Figure features workable sheath for weapon placement Customizable figure with 14+ points of articulation for dynamic posing Featured in iconic season 8 "All Out War" outfit as seen in the hit TV series Figure featured in branded collector blister card packaging

The Solo Weekend / Force Friday 2018 or whatever you want to call it was pretty much a giant flop here in the UK, and by the sounds of it only a touch better over in the US. With Toys R Us out of the picture, this latest product launch was pretty much unsupported, and even the Disney Store are waiting until the perhaps more apt May the 4th for their launch of new Elite figures and other merchandise. As I have done for the last three events I took myself off around a number of retailers on Friday the 13th on the hope that new product would be on the shelves. After visiting Asda, Tesco, Smyths and The Entertainer the only items with a Solo logo on were on the Lego aisle in Smyths with all the new sets available, including the new Millenium Falcon. Better luck can be had online, with plenty of place offering orders as of today for immediate delivery. Checkout our site partner Kapow Toys for some bargains with the new Lando and Han available for £18.97, the Range Trooper was up at that price too but has sadly sold out. If you want to be among the first to get the Dewback set, then Kapow have this as well ready to ship for £64.99

Mezco have announced, on Friday the 13th, a Friday the 13th Part 3 Jason Vorhees One:12 Collective figure. Jason will come with two head options and removable hockey masks with an axe accessory that will actually slot into the gash on the wounded head or the cracked hockey mask - enabling fans to recreate the final scenes from the movie. Jason will come with the usual tailored soft goods and a display stand. The box is also packed with every weapon he used in the movie - axe, machete, cleaver, wrench, poker, knife and a spear gun. US collectors can pre-order direct from Mezco right now for $80 with a $20 non-refundable deposit due immediately. UK fans will need to await the independent listings which will likely come in shortly around the £65 to £70 mark. The figure is due for shipping in the last quarter of 2018 Campers beware! Jason Voorhees from Friday The 13th Part 3 joins the One:12 Collective. The One:12 Collective Jason Voorhees figure includes two menacingly detailed head portraits and two removable hockey masks. Jason’s axe accessory fits neatly into the gash on his wounded head as well as the crack in his hockey mask, recreating the iconic finale from Friday The 13th Part 3. The infamous Crystal Lake killer is outfitted authentically from the film. Jason comes complete with every weapon he used in the film: an axe, a machete, a cleaver, a wrench, a fireplace poker, a knife, and a spear gun. Having recovered from the events of Friday The 13th Part 2, Jason Voorhees relocates to the Higgins Haven campsite where a group of unsuspecting teenagers are enjoying an amiable weekend – that is, until Jason shows up and continues his deadly rampage.

Yakface.com have reported four new products are coming in the Star Wars 6" Black Series for the Solo, A Star Wars Story, Movie. We have what looks to be three further basic release 6" figures who have turned up as listings on Amazon. These are Val who is played by Thandie Newton, this will be her Mimban outfit. Up next is another new Imperial Trooper, the Patrol Trooper. This is the figure we've seen in the larger 12" basic Hasbro line. The final figure is L3-37 who is Lando's droid. These figures have no clear release date, but we would assume they will be Wave 19 at the earliest - possibly alongside Dengar and the long awaited Rebel Fleet Trooper (speculation on our part only). The other new product is in the vehicle line, and it is a box set of the principle villain Enfys Nest and her Swoop Bike. Several companies, such as Entertainment Earth had this up for pre-order with a May 2018 release. It was later confirmed that May was the official pre-order date and that the item would ship around August 2018. There are no images at this stage of the 6" version - but the same character and Swoop Bike are also coming in the 3.75" basic line. This has a US RRP of $59.99 so like last years offerings and the current Dewback these will be around £60 in UK initially.

These official images have been released of the Marvel Legends Thing which is exclusive to Walgreens in the US. The arrival of Thing will round out the Fantastic Four comic book characters that Walgreens have been carrying over the last couple of years as exclusive. The figure "should" get a limited release outside of US via the usual independent specialist stores - watch out for pre-orders. Thing comes with two head options and swap out hands so you can alternate between fists and open hands,