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NECA have shown the card-back for their upcoming Alien vs Predator Elder Predator that will be hitting stores as part of Predators Series 17, hitting early next year (2017)

Review : C-3PO, Resistance Base (The Force Awakens) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Rogue One Wave 2 (Phase 3 Wave 8) Released : November 2016 Price : £21.99 The 2nd batch of Rogue One 6" figures took a little longer to arrive than the equivalent 2nd wave of Force Awakens last year, but a little over 6-weeks since Rogue Friday the 3 brand new figures have arrived on UK shores. Here we will be looking at Director Krennic who is joined by the Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader and The Force Awakens C-3PO. The rest of the 6 figure wave is made up with re-releases of Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor and the Deathtrooper. It feels like we have been waiting an eternity for a Black Series 6" scale C-3PO from Hasbro, in reality it has been about 3 and a bit years. And after that extended wait, during which time we have had multiple Luke's, the first C-3PO we get is actually from the 2015 Force Awakens movie and not the Original Trilogy or even the Prequels. To add a touch of insult to the wait an actual Original Trilogy C-3PO has arrived at the same time, exclusive to the US retailer Walgreens - making it unavailable outside the states in any quantity, and the ones that are coming through are over priced by at least 30%. This is not a great start for 3PO, but let's take a look a the standard release which rolls in as #29 in the phase 3 packaging. The box is standard fair, with a grey scale image to the front corner which again feels more detailed (or is at least bolder) with some artistic stylization of the lines in the image. Round the back and the bio paragraph sits over a blown up version of this image. This bio talks about C-3PO in terms of being a "fastidious and worry-prone protocol droid" and doesn't really tie him to his appearance to the Force Awakens fully, only that he continues to serve Princess Leia. The character name is underscored by the bracketed "Resistance Base" placing him firmly into The Force Awakens, as does his red arm - which we will get to shortly. C-3PO is one of the few Black Series figures to date to be packed with absolutely no accessories at all. This further insults the fans who will be paying upward of £21 for this figure, particularly when you consider what could have been included, at least with a Original or Prequel Trilogy C-3PO. He stands a touch shorter than most 6" figures, putting him in scale with his peers like Luke and Han. It also makes him scale well when up alongside the Black Series R2-D2. The actual design and sculpt of the droid is pretty nice at first glance. The lines are clean and the panels smooth and nicely proportioned. The head captures that quizzical look of 3PO, particularly when it is cocked to one side, but the eyes don't feel bright or illuminated and look the same gold tone as the rest of the head. The elephant in the room, even before this figure hit sore shelves, is the colour particularly as it was this gold finish that Hasbro quoted for many months on why a 3PO was delayed. The choice they have gone with is a metallic gold paint. This paint finish is neat enough and does hold a sheen, but it doesn't match the on screen finish for 3PO and feels dull and unpolished. The ideal option would have been to weather or dirty 3PO up over the top of this colour and make him the Tatooine version, either New Hope or Jedi. The alternative is of course a form of vac metal, and Bandai did this on their 1/12 droid which you can see in the comparison images below. For me this version is just far too shiny and reflective and you kind of wish there was some kind of in-between finish that Hasbro could have achieved? The red arm is also not great in regards to its paint finish. The red is not metallic and just a gloss finish, and it lacks any sort of weathering or wash that would have brought out the detail and matched what we saw in the movie. There are neat touches on the arm with the palm of the hands a matt black split with slivers of gold on the right and red on the left. The tummy section is nicely detailed and is sculpted detail that is then painted, not just painted wiring. Each wire is neatly picked out with blue, red, yellow and green all across a flat black background. Down the arms are the hydraulic rods and bolts that aid in 3PO's movement, these are a bit soft and not as crisp as other parts of the droid - most probably as casting them in harder plastic would have left them open to snapping too easily. Articulation was never going to be great, it isn't on the real costume after all. We start with the head which sports then new pivot ball joint. Despite the neck rings this joint allows the head to tilt back and forward, and it also rotates a full 360 degrees. The arms are only jointed at the shoulder and then again at the wrist, the elbow is fixed. These shoulder joints sit in a shoulder collar which you initially think will stop the arm being moved too much. However, this collar around the shoulder does actually move and can be rotated, and doing so the arm can then be raised and lowered more. The hands rotate at the wrist, and with a peg they also bend, almost to 90 degrees to the lower arm. The torso is ball jointed just under the upper chest piece, this means the joint is hidden, but allows for a wide range of movement and this allows 3PO-esque poses to come more easily as he quite often pushed out his groin and leans his shoulders back when you look at him on screen - particularly when he is walking. The ball jointed hips won't move much as they are held back by some overhang on the top of the thigh. They can go wider if you wish or out to the front for an almost sitting position. After dropping the elbow articulation, Hasbro have also gone single joint on the knees. Now this is nicely engineered to match the way the characters costume works, it does only allow for a slight bend and the hydraulic peg that connects top of the knee to the shin is fixed and just juts out when the knee is bent. The articulation ends with the standard ankle rockers, and these are easy to adjust and C-3PO stands pretty well. All of this articulation does already feel loose and wobbly, and I would imagine C-3PO will start to flop and fall over in the very near future. So if you haven't realised by now, this is a disappointing release. The sculpt is soft in places, and as we are dealing with a robot these should all be crisp and sharp. The articulation is reduced and loose and there is nothing to compensate this lack of movement, not even a single accessory is thrown in. I can just about live with the gold as I understand the difficulty, vac metal would not have been ideal either but if Figuarts and Mafex can hit a decent looking gold at a price point only a tad over the Black Series then surely it wasn't beyond Hasbro. The biggest kicker is the version of 3PO represented here. I have no problem with a Force Awakens release, particularly as it will appeal to collectors and children who entered the Star Wars Universe last year. The issue is the slap in the face that Hasbro have made a Original Trilogy version and made it exclusive. I have nothing against any exclusives, but to give Walgreens a big name original trilogy character is madness, surely they could have still gone with a 3PO but made him the "retaining bolt" version or with the damaged eye from Jabba's sail barge. The optimist in me would hope Hasbro have a longer term plan to give us, particularly overseas, the OT droid - either by tieing up a UK or Worldwide deal to distribute the Walgreens version (although this didn't happen with Emperors Wrath Vader) or by working around the exclusive deal. Maybe a 2-pack with a re-release of R2-D2, or a tweaked version - how great would a 3PO who could be disassembled and packed into a net bag be? £21.99 for C-3PO doesn't feel the best value for money, and with the various niggles with the figure I feel I can only aware him a 2 out of 5. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US Buy from Forbidden Planet

Review : Director Krennic (Rogue One) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Rogue One Wave 2 (Phase 3 Wave 8) Released : November 2016 Price : £21.99 The 2nd batch of Rogue One 6" figures took a little longer to arrive than the equivalent 2nd wave of Force Awakens last year, but a little over 6-weeks since Rogue Friday the 3 brand new figures have arrived on UK shores. Here we will be looking at Director Krennic who is joined by the Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader and The Force Awakens C-3PO. The rest of the 6 figure wave is made up with re-releases of Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor and the Deathtrooper. Director Krennic is number 27 in the Phase 3 (red band) releases and is packed in the now very familiar black sleek boxed packaging with red spine and backdrop in the window. The grey scale art work remains in place in the right corner, and is a very nice rendering of Krennic with some very stylised facial lines. Round the back this same image is replicated and across one side of this is the four language write up of Krennic's role within the Rogue One story, although this contains no spoilers or plot details. Out of the pack we find Krennic, resplendent in his white cape, packed alongside his sole accessory - a short grey blaster pistol. After a few "ropey" human likenesses in recent waves, this particular sculpt captures the look of Ben Mendelsohn quite well, although the figure does look a tad older than the character and from some angles does have a look of Ian McKellen's Magneto from the X-Men movies. This likeness is helped by a much improved paint job on the head. First off, the skin tone is not glossy as seen on Jyn or Cassian. Without the gloss, and with the depth of the sculpt and Mendelsohn's features the face looks crisper and shadow and highlights show up much better under natural light. The eyes are neat with a stark white base and the eyeballs are a crisp blue. Over these eyes is a thin black line that is recessed into the sculpt and adds a menace to the stare. The eye brows are a neat, thin grey line. The hair also holds quite a bit of sculpt detail and again although the grey is a matt flat coat, the lack of any paint effects isn't noticeable as the light picks up the ridges and detail of the hair. This grey look is also quite natural looking, and wouldn't have been a bad shade on the Episode Han Solo figure. The costume, although not true Original Trilogy, is pretty much the Imperial Uniform we have been waiting for and I suspect we will see parts, if not all of it, again in future releases. Admiral Thrawn springs to mind immediately, but with a tweek to the insignia then tunic would suit any number of Imperial Officers. The top section is crisp plain white but look closer and you will find panelled details and to the side a red and blue Imperial Insignia that is crisply painted with a silver background and each of the 12 cubes painted either red (top) or blue (bottom) without any paint bleed what so ever. To each side of the tunic is some more silver detail. I am not sure if these are pens or clips - the detail is a bit soft - and they do look like a paint splodge at a distance. However to give Hasbo their due, these are screen accurate - and if you compare is also identical to the one Tarkin wore in A New Hope. The two arms are also a plain white, with very little in terms of ruffles or folds in the fabric giving it that starched crisp look you expect from the Empire's officer class. Krennic wears plain black gloves which are glossy black and when you inspect these there is more to the way these are sculpted than perhaps you would expect and they do look realistic in terms of being a stretched leather material. Round his waist is a gloss black belt with a brushed silver buckle. To one side is a holster, which is also screen accurate and it is a workable holster too with the pistol sliding in to the holster easily, although it sits the "wrong" way round to natural gun slinging and would be accessed by reaching the opposite hand across. Round the back of the bet, and hidden in most poses, are three canisters clipped into the belt. The trousers are obviously inspired by the uniforms of the Third Reich, and link in to uniforms from the original Trilogy and to the ones worn by the First Order in The Force Awakens. These trousers that Krennic wears boast some pretty impressive flared wide-thighs and are coloured, again flatly, in a matt black colouring. In contrast the boots, that start at the knee, return to the highly polished gloss black of the gloves. These boots look plain, but look more closely and you will see some strap detail round the back of each as well as some bunching of the leather around the ankle. Krennic's cloak is cast in a white rubber plastic, and is essentially unpainted and relies on the white of the rubber material only. This works to be fair and is helped by some pretty nice sculpting around the cloak shoulder and down the sides to represent how the real cloak would hang. You can keep the cloak on Krennic or remove it easily enough as it is simply sitting on his shoulders with a collar that wraps round the neck area. This gives Krennic two looks in one figure, although the uncloaked version does suffer from awkward looking shoulders if the arms are flat to the body. Talking of articulation, Krennic has the bulk of what we expect from the Black Series. To be fair you will only be posing Krennic in a neutral stance but it is nice to know there is some give in the joints if you want to let your imagination run wilder. The head continues this new joint we've been seeing recently where as well as a ball the ball is then hinged in the neck and this let's Krennic rotate his head and look down. He doesn't quite look at his toes in the same way Jyn does,, but the angle in which he does look down really adds some menace and authority to the figure and is how you will see him in a lot of the promotional images. The shoulders, although looking a tad odd as I mention, are fully jointed so can come out fully to either side or be rotated above the head. The elbows are then a single rotating joint and the hands are on a pegged hinge so do rotate, and flex back and forth within the sleeve. With cloak in place the arms are redundant, but out of cloak this arm articulation will help you get Krennic into firing poses with his blaster, or for me the key one of standing with his hands behind his back. The torso joint has been skipped, thankfully so as it would have ruined the lines of the tunic. The waist joint however is back and works in line with the belt. The movement in this waist join is minimal, but will add a touch of character to poses - a lot of Krennic's promo poses have had him slightly side on to the camera. The hips are sat under the lower skirt of the tunic and offer little movement, although you can move them to a partial sitting position or out to the side in a wider stance. You can see a thigh split, just under the line of the tunic, but on the figure we are reviewing here these do not move at all. The knees are double jointed as usual and are disguised really well. This will let Krennic kneel if you want him captured by Rebels on your display. The final joints sit in the ankles and these rockers help Krennic stand really well in most poses, in or our of cape. The one accessory is the blaster, which I think many will keep in Krennic's holster. If you wish this will fit into the right hand with the trigger finger fitting neatly thanks to some give in the plastic. Unlike some of the Force Awakens weapons, a harder plastic has been used here so the details are better pronounced. There is also a tone tone finish, with the gun cast in grey plastic but then with some brown applied on the grip. Rogue One has started really well with figures like the Death Trooper and K-2SO, and Krennic builds on that. He may be just an officer in a dress uniform but he is well executed, is one of the better human likenesses in recent releases and he carries himself well with some real character behind the face. I can't really fault Krennic. The cloak works, although it will open up the debate on rubber vs soft goods. You may argue more paint apps should be included considering the price, but I fail to see how they could have added much to a black and white figure? I am going to go out with a 5 out of 5 score for Krennic as I can't see much else Hasbro could have done - they've pretty much nailed him on this release. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US Buy from Forbidden Planet

The Kaiser range of metal doll stands have provided me with two great solutions for 6" and 7" figures where a more robust waist gripping stand is required. The issue is that these are not easy to obtain in the UK so I have been looking at some alternatives. The first of these is sold via Amazon's 3rd party seller Highly One and is described as a Generic Adjustable Doll Stand. The smallest size is the one we are looking at here, listed as 8-9cm - and the size relates to the height of the waist grip and NOT the size of the doll or figure it is designed to hold. These do also appear to be shipped from the Far East, although I have not waited more than a week for these to arrive. Like the Kaiser stands, this is a 2 piece design with a base section, into which sits a sprung piece of wire. The height of the wire is adjustable within the base so it can change height to a small degree to meet the needs of the figure. The base is a bit chunkier than the flat sleek Kaiser version, so it will raise the height of any figure placed on it. It is also oval rather than round. The gloss finish is a plastic coating and looks OK at a distance, but is a bit cheap close up. The wire piece is quite a large profile, and it is not painted. This makes it quite conspicuous on any figure. It is also a bit unwieldy to get gripped in place and no where near as elegant as the Kaiser version. Yes this will hold you figure, but where it does so is not disguised particularly well. Cost wise these will set you back £1.67 each. This is a saving of about 43p per stand (prices vary). On a large volume of stands this saving will prove sizeable, but the question is one of "getting what you pay for" with the Kaiser equivalent of this stand being the better designed and the better looking. The benefit of this seller is the relatively ease of availability into the UK and for larger figures a wider range of sizes (we will be looking at these larger sizes in due course) Buy from Amazon UK

Review : Sergeant Jyn Erso (Rogue One) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Rogue One Wave 1 (Wave 7)* Released : September 2016 Price : £21.99 * Also released in special convention packaging at SDCC 2016 (July 2016) Jyn Erso rounds up the four new Rogue One figures in the first wave of Rogue One Black Series, wave 7 in real terms for the Phase 3 releases. This is not the first time this Jyn Erso has been released, having previously being packed in special convention exclusive packaging and sold at San Diego Comic Con 2017. Other than the packaging, there is no variation between this figure and the one from SDCC, although the SDCC version does include some specific art cards. This Jyn is also being packed in a 3rd time with the US Target exclusive 3 pack of Rebels vs Imperials. Jyn Erso is number 22 in the Phase 3 series and is specifically labelled at Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) indicating her rank within the Rebellion and that the outfit is location/planet specific. She arrives in the same gloss black box as the other phase 3 figures, complete with grey scale artwork front and back and that striking red spine which also confirms the figure number and the character name. The back of the box gives us the briefest snippet of Jyn's role in the movie without giving away any spoilers for the film. Jyn arrives dressed in a grey head scarf, and with her pistol packed to the right of the inner tray. She stands 5 1/2 inches high, matching the smaller frame of Felicty Jones and therefore scaling accurately against taller characters like Cassian, and of course K-2SO. The facial sculpt is very generic sadly and not the greatest likeness of Jones, and it could realistically be any number of general female characters. It is cast in the flesh tone plastic, so there is no paint apps to speak of. The eyes are pretty neatly done with a crisp white background, thin eye liner and then brown irises. The lips are also neat, but a bit too pink. The hair is a touch soft also in the sculpt at the front but redeems itself round the back where it seems to become more defined and runs round into a loose unkempt pony tail. The paint on the hair does vary in shade with some darker streaks on top of the base colour. The paint doesn't quite however fill its lines round the face, leaving an odd patch of skin coloured hair around Jyn's left ear. The outfit is a really nice design that starts with a grey undershirt with some sculpted collar detail. On top of this is a green and brown flight jacket and this is ribbed with a yellow stripe down the two arms and with ribbed detail on the front lapels and a checked quilted pattern round the back - all of this is sculpted detail. The paint on this upper torso are all flat tones and it would have been interesting to see what a wash would do across these sculpted patterns. Despite the flat tones the look is enhanced with silver buckles and zips being picked out on the jacket. The gloves are finger-less and painted brown, with the final finger details then painted and are a different shade to the head which is of course cast in flesh plastic. Jyn's trousers are slim fitting but have been made with a base texture to them and sufficient rolls and folds in the fabric to add some character. They are again flat painted in black with a slight sheen. The only details on the trousers are what appears to be a strap just under the knees on both legs. This is painted grey round one side, but left the same black as the trousers round the other. On top of the trousers is slung a separate belt and holster, similar to the one Han wears in the original trilogy. This belt hangs lob sided around the waist and is then strapped to the right thigh with a second strap. It is cast in brown rubbery plastic, but with some incredibly small studs painted in silver - and neatly painted at that. The figure ends with ankle boots, although the top doesn't match the bottom in colour and I suspect this is deliberate and the top section are more like a separate wrap. Like everything else these two pieces are a flat colour with some very small details on the boot buckles painted in a subdued gun metal. The other piece of clothing is of course the removable head scarf. This is cast in a flexible rubber and yet holds quite a bit of sculptural folds and wraps. These aren't quite as crisp as I'd like, but I guess that was the balance between a scarf that came off or a fixed piece in a harder plastic with better detail. The scarf is cast in a grey rubber, and for the first time on the figure there is some level of paint application on top of this to dirty it up slightly with a very subtly applied brown wash of some kind. The head scarf is not the easiest to slot on and off, it is a tight fit and that works to the figure's benefit as when in place it doesn't look oversized or awkward like a lot of removable head gear you see on action figures. The best bet is to turn Jyn's head to the side when slotting this on and off, but watch out doing it too often as I expect it will result in some rub or wear and tear over time. The only accessory with Jyn is her blaster. This has been cast in black plastic but, unlike a lot of guns in the Black Series, it does have paint applied on top with details picked out in silver down the barrel. The blaster fits into the sculpted right hand with the trigger finger slotting into the trigger thanks to some give in the plastic on the hand. When not in use the gun can also go into the holster on the right thigh and be locked in place by a working strap that plugs into the holster to strap down the grip of the blaster. Articulation on Jyn is brilliant, aided by her slim frame. Her head, without scarf of course, rotates fully round and can look up and down - so much so she can almost look at her own shoes. The shoulders are ball jointed moving out to the side a full 90 degrees and then rotating so they can be raised above Jyn's head. The elbows are a single joint, but do bend to a full 90 degree angle also - whilst also rotating fully. The wrists are pegged and rotate and then also pivot forward and backward, this is more evident on the left wrist where as the right is held back a little by the cut of the sleeve. There is a torso joint built into the chest, and reasonably well disguised as a fold in her bust area and this also sits and moves behind the jacket. This joint will allow Jyn's whole torso to rotate a full 360 degrees - I know this is not natural, but what this joint does do is aid more action orientated poses perhaps when running, or shooting. With the torso joint, the waist joint is skipped - not that I am sure it needs one anyway. The legs then start with ball joints that spread out to the side as well as forward and backward. The right leg is of course wrapped with the holster, but this works with the articulation and doesn't hold the leg back from matching anything the left one can do. A thigh swivel is cut into the thigh and allows you to turn the lower portion of the leg to aid in stances and posing. Anyone who knows me knows I don't like these joints too much as they ruin the look of the leg when the joint is turned, but here it doesn't look too bad thanks to the darker colouring of the trousers. Knees are double jointed and means the lower shin can pretty much bend round on itself into a kneeling position.And with the ankles also bending you can kneel Jyn on one or both knees. Despite her slim frame, and being relatively light, Jyn still stands well enough. There is a future risk that I feel the ankles will start to flop in time and that might mean Jyn has to go onto a stand at some point. By the time we are through with Rogue One I suspect we will all be over-run with Jyn figures. The great thing with this one is the hood as it does technically create two looks - so I don't actually feel too short changed that I will get this figure again in a future 3-pack. If you are mint in box collector then you will likely be looking for both this and the SDCC version, and therefore the price you will pay on each will vary quite a bit. Judging this essentially as a standard £22 release, then she does enough to warrant a score of 3 out of 5, being a few paint applications on the head and some weathering away from a higher score. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US Buy from Forbidden Planet

Marvel Cinematic Universe "inspired" Luke Cage Marvel Select 7" scale Recipe NECA Terminator Genisys Guardian WWE Titus O'Neil Paints - Revell Aquacolor Yellow 15 matt, inside of the hood Anthacite 09 matt, the hoodie and arms White 05 matt, T-shirt base colour and final dry-brush on jeans Blue 56 matt, base coat and 1st dry-brush on Jeans Black 08 matt, shoes After finishing the 13 episodes of the Netflix Luke Cage I wanted to add the Harlem Hero for Hire to my Marvel Select shelf. Like a lot of my customs, this wasn't about replicating a 100% screen accurate Cage, but one that was close and inspired by the show. The recipe for my Luke Cage starts with the NECA Terminator Genisys Guardian. This figure is already 7" scale and with it being Arnie is sufficiently beefy to line up with Cage's physique. The hoodie is not a perfect match to the plain ones Cage wears in the show but without any skill in sculpting, this does the job for me - and isn't far off the look you see in one of the promo images - this image became my main reference. The body is used in full, but for ease of painting I warmed up the figure in boiling water and then popped out the head and hands. I also popped off the torso at the waist joint, and this will then allow you to peel off the hoodie leaving better access to the T-Shirt and arms. The T-shirt was painted first in white. I was tempted to go with a yellow shirt as a nod to classic Cage, and I also contemplated the grey shirt he wears in a lot of the promo's - although that would have made the outfit very dark overall. The hoodie and arms were painted in a graphite grey, which has a green hue as seen in the show in some lighting. Once this was dry and covered I gave it a very quick wash in a black and wiped most off. The hood area was then painted in yellow. For the head I am still hoping that the very talented Kent32 is successful in his Mike Colter sculpt, but for now I spotted the WWE Titus O'Neil head in Smyths Toys - and even with the grin, it is a decent likeness for Colter. The head was popped off the WWE body along with the hands. These were both painted in dark flesh tone using Revell Leather as a base, this colouring was also used on the neck of the WWE body. The final part is the jeans, and I started these with a dark blue base colour, on top of which an even darker blue wash (base colour plus a touch of black) was applied. I then dry-brushed with the original base colour, and then again with white to finish the stone washed finish. Hand re-assembly required a touch to be trimmed off the peg of the WWE hands. These can then be heated along with the NECA sleeve and the two pushed together. The head is a little trickier as the original NECA peg is now compatible with the WWE head. I found a spare double balled pin that would work and used this to connect the head to the body and retain full movement (albeit a touch loose). This will also allow me to add any future Mike Colter head without ruining the current body.

This week, the #FacehuggerFriday sneak peak from NECA was an early look at the blister layout for the Kenner inspired Gorilla Alien. The packaging shot revealed that the plan is currently to release the Gorilla with two head dome options, a facehugger and a comic book. "The blister layout for the Gorilla Alien 2 domes, facehugger, & comic book! #facehuggerfriday. Unpainted test shots shown, not final"

Review : Imperial Hovertank Pilot Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Toys R Us Exclusive Released : October 2016 Price : £22.99 Rogue One is almost upon us, and this year there are even more 6" scale Black Series retailer exclusives than ever before. Most are US only, which is frustrating for us here in the UK as well as everyone else outside the US. One that has been made available worldwide is the Imperial Hovertank Pilot. I am writing this review before the film release, so all we know about the character/trooper is the brief look we have had on the trailers. This review should therefore be spoiler free, but we will be looking at the card back bio which make give away very minor plot points. Like all Rogue One figures to date in the Black Series, the Hovertank Pilot comes in the phase 3 boxed packaging. The front triangular art is particularly nice, capturing a partially side on profile of the new helmet design with the back half in shadow. The character name sits in red text to the bottom left with the word Imperial repeated in 4 different languages. The figure is presented in the window box offset to the left as you look at it with the blaster slotted to the right at head height. Round the right hand side the spine is the bold gloss red. Being an exclusive this has no numbering, but instead has a hatched box with the character name in small font - like the wording round the front the word Imperial is repeated in four languages while the Hovertank Pilot is in English. On the back of the box the line art is repeated but blown up to cover the majority of the box rear. Overlaid onto this is a short character description - which is also repeated in four languages. It really gives very little away and talks purely about the tanks and vehicles these drivers operate and how their armour stacks up vs the other Stormtrooper variations. The rest of the box rear is made up of the various legal warnings - with the bottom third covered with 23 different words for Warning. Interestingly there are two box variations already for this figure with one coming with the same glossy embossed foil circle on the front that was included on last years Toys R Us Snowtrooper exclusive. For me as a loose collector this is not a big issue, but were I a MIB collector then I would see the foil version as more sought after while completists will want both versions. Out of the pack the Pilot is snuck into the usual plastic tray which then sits on top of the bright red background. The blaster is the sole accessory. As soon as you get the Pilot in hand you know that this figure is a bit special. Not only is the design a great one - reminiscent of the original movie's - but the execution of the figure by Hasbro is absolutely superb. Let's look at the sculpt and design first and this starts with the new helmet design. Essentially this takes certain elements of the Stormtrooper helmets and mixes them up a little with elements of the Return of the Jedi Scouts and also goes back to the Recon Saleucami troopers from Revenge of the Sith - grounding the Pilot and the evolution of the armour back into Star Wars history really well. Moving down to the body armour, this is sculpted so it looks like it is body armour over a human body, where as the Death Trooper for example looks more robotic - the Hovertank Pilot can;t deny it is a trooper in armour. I had initial suspicions that the chest armour, with its over the shoulder straps and buckles, was a direct re-use from the Death Trooper. On inspection this isn't the case. Although the design is shared between both, the Hovertank version is wider and a different piece - no corner cutting here from Hasbro. Round the back the rear piece is also different, moving away from the original trilogy back section to a slimline back pack with two vented pieces. The arms start with shoulder panels, under which are tucked armoured upper arms. there is then a gap through which the black under-suit can be seen, and the armour returns with the forearms. The hands end with simple gloves over which is a further armoured panel on the rear of the hand. Under the chest piece is a complex stomach panel which includes some crisp and intricate details such as a ridged panel with red indicator. This sits just above a utility belt. This is reminiscent again of the original Stormtrooper belt, but contains slimmer pouches. Round the back of this belt is the iconic cylindrical container seen on many Stormtrooper armour designs. The trousers are plain, reminding you this is a light weight trooper who relies on speed and the equipment he operates to fight the Rebels. The leg armour starts at the knee with the all familiar 6 sided knee panel on the left knee and down into ridged boots. All of the amour is presented in an off white shade, with some of the best weathering I have seen on a Black Series figures. There is a clear wash to dirty up the recessed parts and darken the edges, while there is then dry-brushing weathering and panels of dirt splash around the helmet. The under-suit is black at the top and the trousers are then a plain brown. All the other details such as the painted black visor and the rear vents on the back pack are done neatly and cleanly although on the version I received from Toys R Us there was a tiny splodge of cream paint on the black inner shoulder. This is all brilliant so far. Surely they can;t have nailed the articulation too? Well they can actually. Essentially the articulation is the standard black series 16 points of articulation. The difference is that it all works really well, with some though behind the relationship between the sculpted armour and the articulation. The head sits on a ball joint, rotating round fully while looking up and down. The shoulders are ball jointed and despite the bulky looking shoulder armour, the movement is full to 90 degrees out to the side. This is achieved with a gap built into the chest piece so when the arms are raised the shoulder arm retracts under the straps on the chest piece. These shoulders also rotate so you can push the arms up above the head as well. The elbows bend 90 degrees and the gap between the upper and lower arm armour is sufficient so the full bend is achieved, and this means a two handed weapon pose is a breeze and is further supported by jointed wrists which both rotate and flex up and down to a align them to the weapon when the arms are bent. The torso has a joint hidden under the chest armour. Now this does not move massively, but moves enough to tweak the torso side to side to aid in action orientated poses. There is no waist joint, and frankly it is not needed. Down to the hips and the joint here can be swung out in front to a full sitting position, or out to the side - not quite to the splits, but enough for a wider firing stance. In lots of armoured figures the belt stops the hip joint - but on this one the two longer pouches on the belt have been designed to bend with the hips. The leg articulation includes a thigh split. This is not a joint I am a fan of as I think it can spoil the look of a figure. Here it isn't too visible thanks to the dark brown trousers and it does work in terms of swivelling the legs outward for wider leg stances. Both knees are double jointed, and beautifully hidden behind the top of the armoured boots. The knees allow the trooper to kneel on one or both knees, and get into some one kneed firing position. This is helped by the last joint on the ankle where the foot can be fully pointed downward so the trailing leg has a flat base when the figure is kneeling. The single accessory is the blaster, a tweaked beefier version of the E11 blaster. This is cast in a grey plastic so lacks any paint application. It is however crisp in detail and a harder plastic than a number of the "bendy" guns we have had recently. The blaster fits cleanly into the right hand with the trigger fitting the outstretched finger on the right hand. The the left hand is formed to grip the barrel if you wish. The only downside to this figure for me is the exclusivity. As a trooper it will be one that collectors may want to troop build, particularly if squads of them are seen in the film. That of course relies on Toys R Us stocking these in depth through Christmas and into the New Year. Should it follow suit to last years Snowtrooper Commander then this won't be a problem - although I believe this is a far superior figure and will be in much bigger demand being closer to an Original Trilogy figure. Having already scored the Rogue One Death Trooper a 5 out of 5, then the same score has to be applicable to the Hover Tank Pilot. It is arguably the best Black Series figure we have had in the phase 3 range, if not one of the best since launch in 2015. Had it the paint been absolutely perfect and had there been some added extra's like other weapons then this figure could have been pushing for our very exclusive and elusive 5* rating. If you love Star Wars troopers then get this figure now! Buy from Toys R Us (UK) Buy from Toys R Us (US)

As has been reported on many Facebook groups, UK retailer Home Bargains are currently stocking wave 1 of the phase 3 Force Awakens 6" Black Series figures. The price is a staggering £5.99 each. The catch here is the quality of the five figures which are being reported as being brittle, coming out of the box broken or with very poor paint jobs. Although unlikely to be bootlegs, these are potentially seconds or rejects from last year and being cleared out via Home Bargains at a very low cost price. The five figures are Rey with BB8, Kylo Ren, Finn, Chewbacca and the First Order Stormtrooper. I took a look at a local Home Bargains and can confirm that there are issues with these figures, particularly the Stormtrooper where the heads were all warped and quite poorly painted. There are good examples out there, so worth hunting, and for customs these are a considerable saving than purchasing these new.

Funko's Re:Action series is expanding to yet another iconic 80's movie in the 3.75" scale. The ET three pack will be released in February 2017 and will be limited to 5000 pieces. You can also get a glowing finger and chest ET which is an Entertainment Earth exclusive. E.T. phone home! Elliot, Gertie, and E.T. come together in a fun-filled retro 3-pack. The trio are 3 3/4-inch scale articulated figures and include character specific accessories. The E.T. ReAction Action Figure 3-Pack is limited to 5000 pieces and comes packaged in a stickered window display box. Don't forget to complete your set with the Entertainment Earth Exclusive E.T. Glow-in-the-Dark ReAction Figure, sold separately.

A new saga begins for one of the most acclaimed video game franchises in history. After narrowly escaping an attack on their village, JD Fenix, and his friends Kait Diaz and Delmont Walker, must rescue the ones they love and discover the source of a monstrous new enemy. Kait is a brand new character to the Gears of War Universe. Figure stands 7 inches tall and comes with customized Gnasher Shotgun and Boltok Pistol. Stylized base included. This figure includes one Gears of War 4 Gear Pack; a downloadable code for unlocking spectacular in-game content, available starting October 11th – Xbox One and Windows 10 Game Launch.

A new saga begins for one of the most acclaimed video game franchises in history. After narrowly escaping an attack on their village, JD Fenix and his friends, Kait and Del, must rescue the ones they love and discover the source of a monstrous new enemy. JD Fenix, a brand NEW character to the Gears of War universe stands 7 inches tall and comes equipped with customized Lancer Assault rifle and Snub Pistol sidearm. Figure includes one Gears of War 4 “Operational Pack”; a downloadable code for unlocking spectacular in-game content, available October 11th on Xbox One Game Launch. Stylized display base included.