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Lanard Toys have announced, via Idlehands, that they will be producing 3.75" toys from the 2017 Kong : Skull Island Movie. The figures, which are obviously aimed more at children rather than adult collectors, are a mix of articulated human characters and larger creatures like Kong himself, but also some of the monsters from the Island and some militaristic vehicles. Sadly, I can't see these doing all that well - look at the quantity of Jurassic World product still hanging round a year late - and these could well be destined for B&M and Home Bargain stores later in the Summer. I do however like the 18" Kong as a centrepiece for a collection, will be interesting to see the RRP on that. Have a look at the gallery below. and under these images are the synopsis per set from Lanard Battle for Survival: Creature Contact Set- Spider with Jeep and Figure Creature alert! Join the Monarch expedition to Skull Island and prepare to discover the most deadly creatures on planet Earth with the Kong Skull Island Spider with Jeep and Figure. On Skull Island, danger lurks around every corner. With your Sky Devil combat gear you can face the monsters head on…and win! Explorer or soldier, you must be prepared to fight if you want to survive… Battle for Survival: Creature Contact Set- Pterodactylus with Boat and Figure Storm Strike Monarch Expedition Team Helicopter and Figure Calling all heroes to Skull Island! Join the brave Monarch expedition team on a mission to the ultimate monster warzone with the Kong Skull Helicopter with Figure. When you journey into Kong’s world, you’d better be ready for the battle of your life. Gear up and board your armored Sky Devil attach vehicle. By air or by sea, you will face the terrifying creatures of Skull Island and take the fight to them. Your adventure awaits! Storm Strike Monarch Expedition Team Boat and Figure Calling all heroes to Skull Island! Join the brave Monarch expedition team on a mission to the ultimate monster warzone with the Kong Island Boat with Figure. When you journey into Kong’s world, you’d better be ready for the battle of your life. Gear up and board your armored Sky Devil attach vehicle. By air or by sea, you will face the terrifying creatures of Skull Island and take the fight to them. Your adventure awaits! Kong 18 inch Mega-Figure with Soldier With this Kong Island 46cm Kong Mega Figure, you get to decide how Kong became King! Take control of the mighty monster as he protects our world from the most powerful creatures on Skull Island. A 100-foot mountain of muscle, Kong stands tall in the face of danger. Get ready for battle with the new King of action!

There are a number of licences from classic movie's that for many different reasons have not been made officially into Action Figures. Amongst fan lists of dream figure series, one that always comes up is Blade Runner It seems that although we may never see figures from the classic 1982 Ridley Scott movie, collectors will be able to get their hands on figures from the Blade Runner universe. Confirmed by NECA today, the US company have struck a deal for the likeness to the 2017 Blade Runner sequel and will be producing figures based on the Blade Runner 2049 film. We do not know much else at this time, with a promise of more information at Toy Fair 2017 next month. Scroll down to read the NECA press release, and as you go check out the teaser trailer for Blade Runner 2049. The word of caution is that figures may be either the 7" hard sculpted figures and/or the 8" Mego style figures. We would assume the vehicles will be within the fledgling Cinemachine banner. JANUARY 9, 2017 – Leading action figure and collectibles maker NECA announced today that it has acquired the license to BLADE RUNNER 2049, the hotly anticipated sequel to the legendary sci-fi movie. The company plans to release a full range of figures, die cast vehicles, replicas, games and more in 2017. Additional details will be revealed at New York’s International Toy Fair in February. ABOUT BLADE RUNNER 2049 Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. The science fiction thriller is directed by Denis Villeneuve (ARRIVAL) and features a star-studded cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, with Dave Bautista and Jared Leto. Original BLADE RUNNER director Ridley Scott executive produces the dystopian tale based on characters from the novel DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? by Philip K. Dick. Produced by Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Cynthia Yorkin. BLADE RUNNER 2049 opens in theaters on October 6, 2017. Visit official website bladerunnermovie.com for more details.

Review : Bruce Wayne Gotham Select (Diamond Select Toys) Wave/Series : Series 3 Released : November 2016 £19.99 - £22.99 While the main story focuses on Jim Gordon, one of the nice things about the Gotham series is to see how the young Bruce Wayne starts to develop into the man that will of course become Batman. In nearly every movie this is dealt with in just a few scenes and flashbacks - but here it is being spread over the lifetime of the show. Diamond's Gotham Select figures have now reached Series 3, and while the first 2 series focused on the 1st season of Gotham - this new wave now moves to the 2nd season and the first half story line Rise of the Villains. Bruce Wayne is the first of three figures in this series, being released alongside Mr Zsasz and Barbara Kean. Bruce is packed in the usual large blister style packaging that is a trademark of the Select figures. Being a teenager, and therefore smaller than the other figures to date (except of course Selina) Bruce does look a little lost in this enormous packaging but I do like the consistency for Mint on Card collectors. Like all Select figures three sides of the front blister are clear plastic and allow a really good look at the figure and accessories within. The right hand side is a wrap round of the card back and it is here the Gotham text logo sits atop a view of the city. Differentiating this packaging from the first two waves is the sub title "Rise of the Villains" (waves 1 and 2 were subtitled "Before the Legend"). Underneath this side panel and as a triangular extension to it sticking out into the blister is the name card "Bruce Wayne" which sits over a portrait shot of the actor, David Mazouz. This same image is blown up and takes up the whole left hand side spine of the packaging - another trademark of the Select figures. The back of the card is once again headed by the Gotham text logo and the Villains sub-title. The black gloss card then carries a large image of the Bruce figure itself and its diorama bookcase piece. To the left of this as you look is a couple of paragraphs that talk about Bruce's background, the murder of his parents and how he fits into the show and its main protagonist, Jim Gordon. The card finishes up with the usual "also available" flashes showing both the Zsasz and Barbara figures. Under these sit the various logo's of DC, Diamond and Warner Brothers. Once opened you see how small Bruce is compared to the giant tray into which he is strapped. He comes with no accessories save a swap out pair of hands balled into fists. Behind the figure sits the bookcase, dwarfing Bruce and looking particularly impressive. Let's look at Bruce first, who stands a smidge under 6" tall. The height is the first issue really as this height of 6" would scale up to Bruce standing 5ft tall. If you look at cast photo's and the show itself then Bruce, particularly in season 2, stands just half a head or so shorter than Alfred or Gordon. In figure form then Bruce is considerably smaller than Alfred in particular and I think Diamond have used a bit too much artistic licence in his height and stature to represent him as a child. Size aside, the sculpt is one of the better likenesses I have seen across the Gotham figures to date. It also captured that steely look that Bruce often wears in the show, that look of an age and wisdom beyond his young years. Like all Select figures, the facial paint job is quite plain with a simple flat flesh tone which is perhps a touch too glossy. The eyes are neat with a crisp blue iris. The eye brows above are flat brown and perhaps too bold. The hair, sculpted into the side parting that Bruce wears, is a little soft in form and where there is depth to the sculpt it is lost with the plain dark brown colour. Bruce is wearing a simple black two piece suit, and this is designed and cast to fit the smaller frame of Bruce whilst not looking oversized or baggy. The torso is made up of two pieces - with the torso itself carrying the white shirt and red and black striped tie. Over this sits the rubberised suit jacket. The shirt, like a lot of the figure, isn't quite as crisp as I'd like it but it is all coloured nicely, particularly the stripes on the tie. The jacket is plain black, but the buttons do appear to be a glossier back colour and do stand out. There is also a white handkerchief poking out of the left breast pocket. The arms, like the jacket, are a matt black and end with crisp white sleeves and then the hands. These hands are the same flat skin tone as the head, and as we mentioned earlier can be swapped out. The figure comes with an open palm set of hands, and if you want to represent Bruce when he is a little tense or angry, then there is a set of balled fists. Swapping these out is pretty smooth with a satisfying click when the new hands are locked in place. The legs, like the arms, are a flat black with just the hint of folding and creasing of the cloth they are representing. The figure ends in a pair of matt brown shoes. These are arguably the most detailed part of the figure, with laces and a sole which is painted in black with a slight heel. Articulation is averaging about 16 points on the Gotham figures, this is consistent on Bruce too. The head is on a ball joint with a pivot. It can turn 90 degrees to the right and the left, but nothing beyond that - not that a human head would move much further. The pivot then gives it a small range of moving up and down, but this is mm's and not noticeable on any poses. The arms are ball jointed shoulders, moving out to the side and rotating over the head. The elbows are a single 90 degree joint, which then rotate, and as we discussed earlier the hands will rotate being on a push in peg. These pegs also pivot, but do have a tendency to flake the skin coloured paint when they do. Bruce hasn't really got up to much "action" in the show to date, so outside of perhaps putting up his fists for a fight with Alfred - you will be posing young Master Bruce in a neutral pose, perhaps even with his hands behind his back as he receives guests in the Wayne Manor Drawing Room. You can feel a waist joint under the coat, and this will twist with some force and move the torso a few cm's to either side. The hips are a two way design that swing out to the side and in front of them. Like the waist these are stiff, but with some pressure and thanks to the flexible coat, allow Bruce into the splits, or a sitting and kneeling position. There is a thigh swivel, my old nemesis, just under the groin section. This adds very little as usual, just tweaking the feet out to the side to aid in keeping Bruce standing - once turned however, and as is the case with these joints, you loose the line of the sculpt in the trousers and this can look peculiar. The knees are double jointed, allowing the lower leg to bend to 90 degrees and then more. This will let you kneel Bruce if you wish. The figure ends with the ankle rockers and these are engineered well to keep the feet flat to the floor so that Bruce stands very well. It is worth noting how nice it is to find tight leg joints on a Diamond Select figure, lots of other releases have often suffered with loose legs. All Select figures (except giant figures like Hulk) are packed with a Diorama piece - either a base or a piece of scenery relevant to the character. Some of the Gotham figures have had superb pieces, while others are a bit rubbish - and undersized. Thank fully Bruce comes with a monster of a book case that is consistent with the set you see used for Gotham Manor, even though it may not be 100% screen accurate. This bookcase stands 9 inches tall and sits 5 inches wide. It is constructed in a hard plastic and is hollow. While the figure had a few soft lines, the lines on this bookcase are sharp and angular. The paint job is also excellent, with a wood effect that does look like antique wood - and with the hooks individually painted in varying blocks of colour. As a background piece it is brilliant, and I can see some fans looking to pick up multiple cases for a library type diorama that would work with a number of figure lines. The Gotham series of figures is starting to find its stride, and Bruce is a nice addition and a tick to the checklist of main characters. The show in its first two series has been restricted to "men in suits" and Bruce is just a smaller version but as a key character it is nice to have him to pose alongside Alfred. The height is a niggle, but not so much of an issue to make Bruce look under-scaled. With a good sculpt and a terrific diorama for under £25, there is no doubt that Bruce Wayne deserves a score of 4 out of 5. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

NECA have previously released a set of Action Figure stands. These first stands were circular and designed to slot into the peg holes of the NECA figures. We took a closer look at them HERE. NECA have now taken their Action Figure stands one step further - in fact several leaps further - with the release of their Dynamic Action Figure stand. The stand comes on a retro designed blister and card back. The backdrop is very Tron-esque and the text fonts very 1980's, an era favoured by NECA and their designers. Once unpacked you will find a number of parts to assemble. The claw arm fits into the shorter piece of tubing, the slots here are hexaganal so you need to choose the correct orientation depending how you are going to attach the claw to the figure - don't try and turn these once connected. This top arm then fits into the lower arm which is on a larger base and comes with a ratcheted section and thumb slider, from which you can vary the height of your figure. Finally, and we are looking at floor standing mode first, this lower piece clips into a wider base section. Once stood the base can support, and keep a wide rage of figures elevated. We tried it on figures ranging from 3.75" Star Wars up to and including the NECA figures it is ultimately designed for. Within this we also tried Diamond Select 7" figures, Hasbro 6" figures and a couple from the 5" Doctor Who range. All were easily gripped in the claw and then supported up to the point we went for the larger Alien figures from NECA where the weight finally brought the pivot arm back down to earth. But even here, as you can see in the image, the stand still held the figure upright and in much more dynamic action poses than could ever be achieved previously. It is worth stating that although the stand is robust, you need to take care. The plastic is very strong, but also with no give what so ever so is also brittle under pressure. The ratchet doesn't work all that smoothly to raise the height, so ease it up gently. And the claw is best worked with two hands one on each prong to open and close it the rear handle doesn't really help all that much. That being said there are nut & bolt connectors on the upper pivot and the claw which can be loosened or tightened as you see fit. The second element of this base is the ability to swap out the base for one with two suction cups. This is designed to attach to a vertical surface and keep you figures in a flying pose. We tested this on a number of surfaces, including the Ikea Billy laminate bookcase system that is a mainstay for lots of collectors. Sadly, the suction cups will only stay adhered to a glass or high gloss perspex surface. Once adhered to a suitable surface however they are pretty secure. We kept a "stunt" figure suspended at 5ft on a glass display door for nearly 4 weeks. My advise though is don't stick any expensive figures on this stand until you've tested it at length, particularly if they are suspended at height. This stand is not cheap, retailing at between £10 and £15 here in the UK, and between $10 and $15 in the US. Unless you are loaded you wont be putting loads of these in your collection, but they are nice to use on centre piece figures or displays. They will also be great for Toy photography allowing you to maintain some dynamic poses. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : Imperial Death Trooper Rogue One : A Star Wars Story Wave/Series : Disney Elite Diecast Released : September 2016 Price : £19.95 If you follow the site and my reviews you will know that I have been less than enamored with the Disney Elite Diecast Star Wars figures. Despite early excitement on Force Friday 2015, I was later less than impressed firstly with the Storm Trooper and then particularly upset with the General Grievous. Roll forward now to the Rogue One releases and I find myself casting an eye towards a couple of these Elite releases. Curiosity got the better of me over Christmas and I picked up the Disney Elite Death Trooper, and here is my review. I have always admired the brushed steel and bold backdrop colouring of the Elite series. The front of the box is essentially one big display window, showcasing the figure more openly than the Black Series or even SH Figuarts. The metallic trim grips this window at the corners. The top section carries a Disney store logo on the left corner, and on the right is an age guide of 3+. Down at the base of the box there is a strip which is trimmed in a bright electric blue. Within this sits the Disney Elite name, and above it the Star Wars logo. With the usual toy warnings in a black segment to the bottom left, the rest of the base is taken up with the character name specifically Imperial Death Trooper, and the subheading "Die Cast Action Figure" The window clear perspex wraps round the two sides in a triangular shape, allowing more visibility of the side of the figure. Around this is the metallic box sides, trimmed in blue once again. At the top of each side spine is the Star Wars logo in flat black, and under this the first mention of Rogue One. The back of the box is a full brushed steel panel, headed once again with the black Star Wars logo. The rest is a text based introduction to the figures "in collaboration with Lucasfilm, Disney Store is proud to introduce..." and this leads into a short biography of the Death Trooper where it talks about their role as enforcers and body guards for Director Krennic. This same text is repeated in French. At the very bottom is the barcode and the printed price of £19.99 or €24.99 in the European stores and Disney Land Paris. Out of the box and the Trooper sits in a clear tray, behind which sits a slightly darker blue card back. This is not as visual as the deep red used on The Force Awakens release, but still works. You can see why these figures are often kept packaged on display rather than unpacked. But unpack we will, and be warned this will take a while due to the extensive quantity of tie wraps Disney insist on using, and how short a lot of these are cut - not only making them hard to grip and twist to open, but also leaving a lot of sharp edges so be careful. My advice is get hold of a pair of metal nippers and save yourself some time and injury. Out of the pack the figure is hefty, it is die cast after all. The first bunch of Elite figures were not true 6" scale figures, coming in a bit bigger at around 6.5" and putting most out of scale with the more extensive Black Series range from Hasbro. This seems to have been tweaked in 2016 for Rogue One and although still not a perfect match, there is a closer scale to the traditional 1/12. The Death Trooper is, as seen on screen, taller than usual troopers and the figure replicates this at just under 7" tall. This is just a shade over the height of the Black Series version, and side by side the height isn't an issue. What is an issue for me is that while the height looks OK, the trooper looks too bulky - as though he is the Trooper who has been eating too many Nerf burgers swilled down with gallons of Blue Milk. I did think the Black Series Death Trooper was a little skinny, but the Elite swings too far the other way. The next issue is the paint job, or lack of. While the Hasbro version has a variant paint job with grey under garments, glossy black armour on top and within that silver trim - the Elite is basically black. The only variation you get is where the diecast parts change to plastic, such as the hands, and here there is a move to matt black. The only other paint I can see is the silver belt and the green detail on the helmet around the mouth filters and the eyes. The sculpt of the figure is crisp and contains quite a bit of detail. The head in particular is very nice, and differs to the Black series version as Disney chose to sculpt the version of the helmet without the range finder. The specialist gear is also detailed from the Shoulder Pauldron down through the pouches to the wrapped belt. As a separate part it is relying on the body beneath to allow it to sit naturally, and as the Trooper is a tad on the wide side, this just adds to the bulk and seems to be stretched around the mid-rift. The 2015 Elite figures suffered from the exposed screw holes right down the back of each figure where the parts were screwed together. Disney Store look to have taken this feedback into account, and have inserted black plug covers on the screw holes on the thighs and mid-drift. Screw heads are still visible on the arms. Articulation, or lack of it, is another criticism of this range. Being Die Cast there is limitations in the joints, and due to the weight the joints often can't hold the weight of the limbs. The Death Trooper suffers from the former, and I suspect over time the latter issue will also become a problem. The head is jointed and can turn stiffly to either side. There are then shoulder joints and elbow joints. The Troopers left arm will rotate all the way round his body, while the right is blocked by the Pauldron so far up. The elbow joints will just about hit 90 degrees but lack the rotation needed to get anywhere near a two handed weapon pose. The hands rotate, but this is more like the way they are plugged into the diecast forearm rather than a designed joint. The best arm pose I achieved on my figure was a comedic C-3PO imitation. You can feel a waist joint, but mine won't turn more than a few mm and I am scared to force it much further. The leg articulation is instantly "wobbly" when you handle the figure and I guess is the weak spot for floppy figures over time. To be honest the range of motion is so small in both the hips and knees that you could have almost left the legs a static piece. The best you will get out of the legs is a walking pose, and you will need to use the base to ensure he doesn't topple over. The base is a real plus for this range, a nice die-cut plastic piece that plugs into the right foot solidly enough that you can put him in the walking movement with the left foot almost off the ground. Hasbro could learn a thing about stands if they could pack something similar with their Black Series, or at least make them available as an after market part. The other great thing in the pack is the weaponry. While I was disappointed in the boring grey cast Black Series guns, the Elite series are both sculpted brilliantly but also painted pretty well. They are practically the same size as the Black Series version and the two are interchangeable. Combine the Black Series figure with the Elite guns and you instantly have a better figure. The Elite also does a better job of holstering the smaller good, with an engineered clip on the thigh armour that snaps the gun tightly in place. If you collect boxed figures, then the Elite series is one of the better looking packaged Star Wars ranges. If you are a loose collector, then for just a couple of quid more I would still plump for the Black Series every time. Comparing the Death Troopers side by side, then the Hasbro wins out on sculpt, paint and articulation. The Elite does have some positive elements like the weapons and the base. The Death Trooper Elite Series release is not a bad figure, it just is not as good as others in the same scale and price brackets. Where it will appeal is that this is the Specialist version of the Trooper with the added Pauldron and accessories - a figure that you can only get (at present) in the Black Series via a US only exclusive 3 pack. The Death Trooper is not a figure that has converted me to the Elite Series. It will work as a stand in and can be used to compliment a Black Series collection if you wish. I am going to score it a 2 out of 5.

Happy Sat-TOY-Day everyone! CLICK HERE for this week's issue. It's a #SatTOYday bonus issue as we look back and pick our top 10 figures of 2016 from the three main toy makers that make up our archives - Neca, Hasbro and Diamond. We also have some fun looking ahead and speculating on what 2017 may bring us. Happy New Year www.facebook.com/mephitsu www.twitter.com/mephitsu www.issuu.com/mephitsu

Looking Forward So we now look ahead to 2017 and what Action Figure goodies we have in store. One thing is certain, and is already evident in some stores, is that our figures here in the UK will be costing us more in 2017. With Brexit impacting exchange rates with both the US and the Euro, figures are going to get more expensive. We've already seen collector focused supplier having to raise prices, and only last week the Black Series price in Asda stores (traditionally one of the cheapest) was seen to rise to just shy of £25 I also think 2017 will make or break some lines. McFarlane's Color Tops will be into its 2nd year, and at least here in the UK hasn't yet made a massive impact. I also think Diamond will need to make some decisions on where next to take Ghostbusters and the Gotham line, with the latter seemingly struggling when you look at online pricing. But we've also got more huge movies in 2017 that will drive more figures to stores. Diamond and Hasbro will be putting out product for all three Marvel movies in 2017, with the kicker being Logan not getting any support. We also have Episode 8 of Star Wars, and if the output for The Force Awakens and Rogue One is anything to go by then 2017 could be the biggest yet for Black Series collectors. The following figures are predictions from me, most of which are based on nothing more than a whim of what I would like to see - although I have applied a bit of logic on some. Will be cool to look back at the end of the year to see how many we "hit" and how many we "missed". NECA Q/Scale Ant-Man (Civil War) NECA already have the licence for Marvel figures in the 18" quarter scale. And from what I know, Randy Falk (product developer for NECA) is also a collector of the Hasbro 6" Marvel Legends line. So bear with me here.... but imagine NECA putting out an 18" Ant-Man from Civil War in 2017, and how that could be utilised by collectors of the smaller figures as a Giant Man stand in. I can see it now, the 18" NECA Giant-Man waving around a 6" War Machine while Spider-Man webs up his legs. Black Series Moff Tarkin The inclusion of Tarkin in the Black Series now seems like an obvious choice, considering how he now spans three movie's as well as The Clone Wars animated series. To get a Peter Cushing in the 1/12 scale would be brilliant. Black Series Ep7 Luke Skywalker This one is a bit of a cheat prediction as Hasbro have spoken about the release of a 6" Luke from The Force Awakens. My feeling is they will hold him back for the first wave of Episode 8 figures around September - he can then bridge both Episode 7 into Episode 8 Marvel Legends Daredevil 6" I am not a big collector of the Legends line from Hasbro, more picking up figures for my son. However, the announcement that the Netflix Marvel heroes will be released in 6" scale has piqued my interest. So far we know we are getting Jessica Jones and The Punisher, it is therefore not a huge leap to guess that the Netflix Daredevil won't be too far behind, perhaps he will be joined by Luke Cage and Ironfist to round out a Defenders wave in time for the show's release later in 2017. NECA Predator 30th Anniversary, Dillon The team at NECA have already confirmed that 2017 will see them release a 7 figure special assortment of Predator figures for the movie's 30th anniversary. While likely to be repacks and tweaks, there is a little bit of me that hopes that the deal has been done with Carl Weathers to release Dillon in the Predator line. The two parties did seem to be discussing "something" back in Summer 2016 via Twitter after the success of Alien Day and involving actors like Ricco Ross, Jenette Goldstein and Carrie Henn. This prediction is very much wishful thinking, but NECA have surprised us plenty in 2016 - why not carry that on in 2017 Marvel Select Spider-Man (Homecoming) Diamond have already confirmed figures for Guardians of the Galaxy in 2016, and that they will be doing figures from Thor and Spiderman too. It seems a no-brainer that the Spiderman figure will be the title character - the third Spider-man movie figure to be released by Diamond. The secret hope is that Diamond can make The Vulture too, but I suspect that won't happen. Marvel Select Thor and Marvel Select Planet Hulk (comic or movie) Like Spider-man, it seems unlikely for Diamond to do anything but a new Thor for his 3rd solo outing on screen. That's fine as I do like the look of the new outfit. I also get the feeling that Planet Hulk will feature somewhere from Diamond. I would hope this is a movie version, but if we are following form then a comic version could also be an option for Diamond - particularly if Disney Store want to get him on shelves ahead of the movie like they did with comic versions of Civil War characters earlier in 2016. Diamond Select Ghostbusters 2. Peter, Ray, Winston and Egon (revised darker uniform) and Vigo the Carpathian I mentioned above that 2017 would see Diamond having to decide where next to take the Ghostbusters licence. They have already confirmed they are developing figures past the initial 15 figures, but haven't confirmed what that would look like. With nothing left as such to release from the 1984 movie the choices would seem to be move to the 2016 reboot or move on to the Ghostbusters 2 sequel. Considering the reception for GB2016, I suspect Diamond will go to the GB2 movie and start with the Ghostbusters in their revised darker uniforms and the main protagonist, Vigo the Carpathian. While I doubt a collectible diorama of the same scale as the 15 part rooftop will be included this time round, the option to pack in the Vigo painting from the Art Gallery would be a pretty cool display item.

The Entertainer is running a Toy Sale at present, with up to 75% off selected lines. Interestingly, what appears to be a number of new products have turned up on shelves and have immediately been reduced For DC fans, there are the 6" Mattel Multiverse figures, RRP £25 but reduced to £12.50 This is the Darkseid wave and I found Supergirl, Robin and Armoured Comic Batman at my local store Marvel fans have a wealth of the cheaper 2.5" mini-verse figures, these have been shelf warming since the original Guardians of the Galaxy figures. Along side these now though are a wealth of 3.75" Marvel Legend figures. The single carded figures are reduced from £12 to £6. There are then a load of those Comic Book 2-packs marked as £22 RRP and being sold for £11 Star Wars 3.75" collectors will be happy to find the class 1 vehicles now down at £11 (from £22). This includes the brand new Speeder Bikes from Rebels - Ezra and the Imperial Pilot.

NECA's Alien licence has reached its 10th series with the release of the first of the Kenner inspired Aliens. I say first as NECA have confirmed today that the Kenner inspired figures will return in Series 13, with Series 13 likely to now fall in 2018. To fill this interim period NECA have tweeted that they have 3 releases lined up that sit outside the main range that are all Kenner inspired. Expect 3 special Kenner homages during 2017 to help ease the pain waiting for Series 13, (next Kenner themed wave) #facehuggerfriday -Randy Falk, NECA It is expected that 2 of these 3 will be shown at New York Toy Fair next month. Randy Falk is quoted that "one is very special IMO" With this news we can start to form some kind of shape for the Aliens series in 2017. We do know that the range as an entity is on pause after this present Series until Summer, this is because the first half of 2017 will be Alien : Covenant releases. We then have Series 11 and Series 12 in the back half of 2017, before NECA return to Kenner inspiration with Series 13. One of these is most likely an Alien Resurrection wave - and we have seen a sneak peak of an Alien Resurrection Ripley already. An Alien 4 Xenomorph is a certainty for this wave, and perhaps the Newborn as the 3rd figure. We also know that NECA will return to the original Alien this year, with Lambert in spacesuit having been teased and shown quite a while back. Following the usual rules that would mean a Xeno will also be included, but who the 3rd figure could/would be is anyones guess at this point. The other factor to consider is the tease of the Alien skull not so long back that appeared to be the Xeno from the Defiance comics. This could mean that Series 11 or 12 may be a mixed wave with figures from different films and comics?

The award for the worst Twitter representation for a brand has to go to the new US Underground Toys account that was set up in the latter half of 2016 and that hyped up a bunch of new Doctor Who 5" collectors figures - including a new 10th Doctor in Tuxedo and two brand new 12th Doctor sculpts. Roll forward to January, about a month out from the promised release date of February, and when asked by a fan this is the response from Underground Toys... Further questioning has confirmed not a single one of the three promised figures will now see the light of day. Interestingly some details via a US site has contradicted the quote, claiming that UT were trying to solicit a US retailer to commit to these figures with a minimum of 5000 units. This would certainly make much more sense than saying there was a factory problem... I suspect this, along with the waning interest in the show itself, is the final nail in the coffin of the Doctor Who figure line.

We are getting even closer to the re-release of the Aliens Hicks & Hudson from NECA. The ALIENS 30th Anniversary 2 pack of Hicks & Hudson all packed out & shipping in a few weeks #facehuggerfriday #aliens #gameoverman - Randy Falk, Twitter This new 2-pack is a combination of the previous releases - with both head options, one with helmet. All the accessories are included - Pulse Rifles, Motion Trackers, Shoulder Lamps and Hick's Shotgun. There is also some updates with the flesh now using the flesh toned plastic and some updated decor and improvements to Hudson's helmet new deco & use of flesh tinted plastic. Hudson helmet more accurate color & tampo then original release - Randy Falk, Twitter These new packaging images have been released by NECA and the pack itself should be in stores sometime in February. You can pre-order HERE at our affiliate partner

NECA had a particularly impressive 2015 with some awesome releases like the first ever 7" Ripley figure from Aliens AND the Power Loader. It was therefore going to be interesting to see if they could match this in 2016. We need not have worried as NECA had us covered across 2016 in all of their key licences. First off, Rocky was back! With the original releases virtually impossible to find, collectors were overjoyed when NECA announced they would release at least four waves of four figures, a mix of new and re-release figures covering the first four Rocky movies. 2016 saw the first wave hit shelves based on Rocky III. Three of the figures were straight up re-releases, not that there was anything wrong with this considering how awesome the Clubber Lang and Rocky figures were. The fourth figure was a tweak and was based on the promotional poster for the movie, with Black shorts and the Title belt - brilliant! And it is this figure that is my first pick of four NECA figures in my 2016 Top 10. Over to Terminator next, and here the line has moved on from single releases to existing almost exclusively now in the Ultimate range. 2015 saw us get the key Terminator 2 figures, where as 2016 was certainly the year of the original 1984 Terminator movie. The first was the Tech Noir Nightclub T800, an awesome sculpt of the young Arnie which obviously borrowed from the original release but still stood out on its own with the swap out head and arm options. My favourite though, and my 2nd NECA choice, is the Police Station Assault T800. This figure was THE iconic T800 with the biker jacket, turned up collar, array of weaponry and of course those trade mark sunglasses.... I'll be back! 2016 saw NECA add a lot of new licences and figures. We saw the return of Ash in his new TV show incarnation from Ash vs The Evil Dead. The retro figures also went from strength to strength, with Bill, Ted and Rufus arriving - most excellent! But of course for NECA their big two licences are Alien and Predator... Predator fans got a wealth of Alien vs Predator figures, with all new bodies and articulation. There was also the teases in 2016 of the Ultimate Predator figures, something to definately look forward too in 2017. And for Aliens, well wow! The first big news was that Newt figure, although a wave of anger soon followed when this was initially going to be an SDCC exclusive. Thankfully we've seen NECA work their magic to put Newt into a revised 2-pack with Ripley, sadly this didn't hit UK shores in time for this years review. If Newt wasn't enough, NECA pulled out all the stops to negotiate the likeness for Vasquez AND Frost to be made, significantly increasing the Marine population. Frost is good, but Vasquez is stunning - and is my 3rd NECA pick in the Top 10. We stay with Aliens for my final choice. Not only did NECA give us new Aliens figures like Frost, Vasquez and Newt - but 2016 was also the year they moved to Alien 3 releases. A new Ripley, complete with shaved head, arrived in summer alongside the Dog Alien. The Dog was a re-release, but to add some variation the cases did include a greyer finish Dog Alien. The third figure in this Alien 3 wave is my final pick for the Top 10. It is also the first figure to ever receive a 5* review. The Weyland Yutani Commando played a minor part in the movie, appearing very late in the film and not doing much other than flanking the new Bishop as he tried to persuade Ripley to not kill herself and the Alien Queen she was carrying. Despite this, the figure is stunning. It does what many figures and figure companies fail to do, line up a brilliant sculpt with a great paint job AND strong articulation. The commando carries a level of detail beyond its £20 price point, like the sculpted face under the mask and the swap out eye pieces to give the figure variant looks. The Mephitsu Archives Top 10 Figures of 2016