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Think Horror, and most people will think of Freddy Krueger. The character, who made his debut in 1984 in the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie has had numerous figures over the years. He was a big part of McFarlane's Movie Maniacs range, and later the licence moved to NECA and he was released as part of Cult Classics before moving to a range of his own. In 2014 NECA launched their Ultimate Series of figures. The principle of the Ultimate series is to release a definitive figure of the character and pack them with a plethora of accessories and parts - from alternative heads & hands, to miniature props from the film. One of the first figures to get the Ultimate treatment was Freddy, who himself was celebrating his 30th Anniversary. It is very apt that we are publishing a review of this figure on Halloween itself. For the Ultimate series, NECA have chosen to go with the packaging style they have used on their Video Game series, with a fully enclosed box and a front flap that can be flipped back to view the figure. I am not a MIB collector, but if I were I would be frustrated by not seeing the figure in any way. Some may disagree, and each to their own, but I would have preferred a window box similar to what they are using presently on the Terminator Genisys figures? Whatever you think of the box style. the design is brilliant. The front is the 1984 cinematic poster and this turns the corner into a flame effect background and the film logo again alongside the text identifying this as the "30th Anniversary Ultimate Freddy". On the reverse the flame effect background continues, into which are insert panels that show the various looks and accessories that are included in the box set. there is then a bio of the movie itself which scrawls down the left hand side of the box. The front flap is held in place with velcro, and once opened reveals the figure underneath. The inner flap is a very dark red colour and shows an atmospheric shot of the actual figure itself. The trim around the window is designed in a red and black stripe which represents Freddy's now infamous sweater. Inside the box and the figure is tied into the usual perspex tray and behind this is a 3 sided cardboard insert which continues the flame background that was seen on the box. So what do you get? Well Freddy comes complete in the box with his "standard" unsmiling head. You also get a smiling version and a skull version. The hat is a separate piece and this fits on all three heads, so you can essentially have 6 different head options. The left hand can be swapped out with a damaged version. and the final two accessories are a flesh face and the tongue phone. Looking at the sculpt first and Freddy is really well executed. The heads in themselves contains so much detail from the damaged flesh, to the skin folds and on the smiling figure that infamous grin. Freddy's jumper is sculpted in a textured design that replicates the actual texture you would find on a knitted piece of clothing. This texture however doesn't continue down either arm, so it can look a little like Freddy is wearing a tank top rather than a jumper. That's not to say there isn't plenty of detail in the sleeves with the folds of the jumper and finishing at a ribbed cuff. My only slight gripe is that the jumper has been sculpted to ride up at one side. That means despite the articulation that we will look at shortly, the figure looks slightly odd unless posed with a slight lean to the right so that the jumper looks like it has ridden up against Freddy's hip. The ridden up jumper does allow you a glimpse of the torso underneath, and this is unbelievably sculpted to Freddy's actual torso, even though it is practically unseen unless you have the figure turned upside down. You can't do Freddy without doing the clawed hand and this is executed really well on this right hand with each part of the glove defined really well from the screwed back plate, to the metal fingers and the knife blades. The left hands are pretty basic, but look fine, although I am not 100% convinced by the damaged version, and in particular the green "splurge" that is shooting off the stump of the missing fingers. Freddy's trousers are sculpted with natural looking folds and a seam runs down each leg and around the turn ups, exactly as you would see on a real pair. The figure is finished with a pair of laced boots. The hat, is molded in a soft rubber and fits perfectly on any of the three heads without looking over sized and unnatural which is quite often a downside of making a removable hat/helmet. The skin mask is OK, but doesn't really do much other than be a prop - the same can be said of the tongue phone. Paint applications are near on perfect. Each head is painted with red flesh underneath through to a skin tone which has been washed and highlighted to perfection, with eyes and teeth picked out really neatly. The jumper stripes are neatly applied, and the sweater is then washed to make it look grimy. Trousers are a grey colour up close and dry brushed with a slightly lighter grey to add depth. The claw hand has about 4 different colours in play from the skin underneath to the bronze of the glove, the red of the finger tips and the silver of the blades - great attention to detail. Articulation wise, and the figure does enough. The heads all rotate fully round the body and can achieve an ever so slight movement up and down. They are very difficult to swap over and I worry about damage if you are going to change these regularly - my advice is to always heat them up first slightly. The arms are on a two way shoulder joint so can go out to Freddy's side and then up to over his head if you feel the need. The elbow then bends and rotates with the wrist on a rotating peg. Like the head, the left hand is a real pain to swap out and again I recommend heating the joint first to aid the exchange. The figure does include a torso joint that is just visible through the ridden up jumper, this works with a waist joint to allow Freddy to pivot and swivel his top half and also to achieve the right lean that I talked about earlier to match the pose to the jumper. Hip joints move back and forth and out to the side, although be warned one of mine was very stiff and any NECA collector knows that forcing these may result in a snapped joint - here once again some gentle heat from a hairdryer is your friend. The knee joints bend and as usual NECA has done a decent enough job of hiding the knee joints to look like a fold in the cloth. The ankles are on pivots so do swivel and move back and forth sligtly, enough to stand him firmly on a flat surface. If you are a Horror fan, a movie fan or just a Freddy fan then I have to say this is currently the figure for you. For a £25 (approx) price point you can achieve a number of looks for Freddy and articulation and paint are about the best you will get on a Freddy figure. My only niggles are the difficulty in swapping parts (NECA seem to have rectified this if you compare ease of swapping to the recent T800 Ultimate figure), the slightly odd jumper sculpt and the lack of texture on the sweater arms. That aside and Freddy is a superb figure and I award him a high 4 out of 5.

CLICK HERE for the full archive review and gallery Think Horror, and most people will think of Freddy Krueger. The character, who made his debut in 1984 in the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie has had numerous figures over the years. He was a big part of McFarlane's Movie Maniacs range, and later the licence moved to NECA and he was released as part of Cult Classics before moving to a range of his own. In 2014 NECA launched their Ultimate Series of figures. The principle of the Ultimate series is to release a definitive figure of the character and pack them with a plethora of accessories and parts - from alternative heads & hands, to miniature props from the film. One of the first figures to get the Ultimate treatment was Freddy, who himself was celebrating his 30th Anniversary. It is very apt that we are publishing a review of this figure on Halloween itself. For the Ultimate series, NECA have chosen to go with the packaging style they have used on their Video Game series, with a fully enclosed box and a front flap that can be flipped back to view the figure. I am not a MIB collector, but if I were I would be frustrated by not seeing the figure in any way. Some may disagree, and each to their own, but I would have preferred a window box similar to what they are using presently on the Terminator Genisys figures? Whatever you think of the box style. the design is brilliant. The front is the 1984 cinematic poster and this turns the corner into a flame effect background and the film logo again alongside the text identifying this as the "30th Anniversary Ultimate Freddy". On the reverse the flame effect background continues, into which are insert panels that show the various looks and accessories that are included in the box set. there is then a bio of the movie itself which scrawls down the left hand side of the box. The front flap is held in place with velcro, and once opened reveals the figure underneath. The inner flap is a very dark red colour and shows an atmospheric shot of the actual figure itself. The trim around the window is designed in a red and black stripe which represents Freddy's now infamous sweater. Inside the box and the figure is tied into the usual perspex tray and behind this is a 3 sided cardboard insert which continues the flame background that was seen on the box. So what do you get? Well Freddy comes complete in the box with his "standard" unsmiling head. You also get a smiling version and a skull version. The hat is a separate piece and this fits on all three heads, so you can essentially have 6 different head options. The left hand can be swapped out with a damaged version. and the final two accessories are a flesh face and the tongue phone. Looking at the sculpt first and Freddy is really well executed. The heads in themselves contains so much detail from the damaged flesh, to the skin folds and on the smiling figure that infamous grin. Freddy's jumper is sculpted in a textured design that replicates the actual texture you would find on a knitted piece of clothing. This texture however doesn't continue down either arm, so it can look a little like Freddy is wearing a tank top rather than a jumper. That's not to say there isn't plenty of detail in the sleeves with the folds of the jumper and finishing at a ribbed cuff. My only slight gripe is that the jumper has been sculpted to ride up at one side. That means despite the articulation that we will look at shortly, the figure looks slightly odd unless posed with a slight lean to the right so that the jumper looks like it has ridden up against Freddy's hip. The ridden up jumper does allow you a glimpse of the torso underneath, and this is unbelievably sculpted to Freddy's actual torso, even though it is practically unseen unless you have the figure turned upside down. You can't do Freddy without doing the clawed hand and this is executed really well on this right hand with each part of the glove defined really well from the screwed back plate, to the metal fingers and the knife blades. The left hands are pretty basic, but look fine, although I am not 100% convinced by the damaged version, and in particular the green "splurge" that is shooting off the stump of the missing fingers. Freddy's trousers are sculpted with natural looking folds and a seam runs down each leg and around the turn ups, exactly as you would see on a real pair. The figure is finished with a pair of laced boots. The hat, is molded in a soft rubber and fits perfectly on any of the three heads without looking over sized and unnatural which is quite often a downside of making a removable hat/helmet. The skin mask is OK, but doesn't really do much other than be a prop - the same can be said of the tongue phone. Paint applications are near on perfect. Each head is painted with red flesh underneath through to a skin tone which has been washed and highlighted to perfection, with eyes and teeth picked out really neatly. The jumper stripes are neatly applied, and the sweater is then washed to make it look grimy. Trousers are a grey colour up close and dry brushed with a slightly lighter grey to add depth. The claw hand has about 4 different colours in play from the skin underneath to the bronze of the glove, the red of the finger tips and the silver of the blades - great attention to detail. Articulation wise, and the figure does enough. The heads all rotate fully round the body and can achieve an ever so slight movement up and down. They are very difficult to swap over and I worry about damage if you are going to change these regularly - my advice is to always heat them up first slightly. The arms are on a two way shoulder joint so can go out to Freddy's side and then up to over his head if you feel the need. The elbow then bends and rotates with the wrist on a rotating peg. Like the head, the left hand is a real pain to swap out and again I recommend heating the joint first to aid the exchange. The figure does include a torso joint that is just visible through the ridden up jumper, this works with a waist joint to allow Freddy to pivot and swivel his top half and also to achieve the right lean that I talked about earlier to match the pose to the jumper. Hip joints move back and forth and out to the side, although be warned one of mine was very stiff and any NECA collector knows that forcing these may result in a snapped joint - here once again some gentle heat from a hairdryer is your friend. The knee joints bend and as usual NECA has done a decent enough job of hiding the knee joints to look like a fold in the cloth. The ankles are on pivots so do swivel and move back and forth sligtly, enough to stand him firmly on a flat surface. If you are a Horror fan, a movie fan or just a Freddy fan then I have to say this is currently the figure for you. For a £25 (approx) price point you can achieve a number of looks for Freddy and articulation and paint are about the best you will get on a Freddy figure. My only niggles are the difficulty in swapping parts (NECA seem to have rectified this if you compare ease of swapping to the recent T800 Ultimate figure), the slightly odd jumper sculpt and the lack of texture on the sweater arms. That aside and Freddy is a superb figure and I award him a high 4 out of 5.

It's Halloween Sat-TOY-Day and time for the Guesome News that caught my eye this week which includes new licences for NECA and Diamond, and new Star Wars figures about to hit Aldi UK stores... CLICK THROUGH for the News Page Follow us over on FACEBOOK and/or TWITTER for daily news as well as reviews, price alerts and store reports. You can also enter our contributor draw by submitting your own stories.

CLICK HERE for the full archive review and gallery The Deacon was never truly explained in the Prometheus movie once it hatched towards the end of the film. It bears a lot of similarities to the Alien Xenomorphs, so most likely was a lower evolution of this original Alien. The Deacon was produced and released by NECA in 2013 as part of their short lived Prometheus line. Arriving in a slimmer than usual clamshell, the packaging is designed to be dark and foreboding with very little artwork on the front, and the sides too are blank whereas usually they would contain images of the figure Flipping the card round and the rear contains a short paragraph about the Prometheus movie and a large image of The Deacon figure. Underneath this is a line up for the rest of the range. Within this line up two figures, Holloway and Fifield, never made it to store shelves and the whole Prometheus line had to be wrapped up prematurely due to extremely low sales. Out of the box, and the Deacon is a relatively small figure standing at just over 7" high but on a very slim frame. The sculpt is a good representation of the movie prop, and you would argue that the issue in the look of the Deacon was more down to the film rather than this figure. That being said each body part is sculpted with twisted muscle and sinew and the head is smooth and broken only by the gaping maw with its row of human-esque teeth and the huge gruesome tounge. The figure is cast in a dark blue plastic, and the paint job is then a simple black wash followed by splodges and streaks of black which are meant to represent the goo that accompanies the birth of the Deacon. The whole figure is a high gloss finish to project a slimy texture and sheen to the skin. Sadly the black goo paint doesn't really work. I don't profess to know how it could have been done better, but the way it is the skull in particular looks really poor. Articulation is always hit and miss with NECA, particularly of this year and even within this range. The David 8 figure was a masterpiece with tonnes of articulation, whilst the Engineer was a huge disappointment. The Deacon probably sits about half way. The head is on an articulated ball joint so can be spun a full 360 degrees and looks up and down. The lower jaw is articulated so it can be opened a few degrees to expose the tongue. Rather than a ball joint, the arms are attached with a hinge so only open to the side and can't be moved to sit any further forward or backward to the torso. The elbow is likewise a basic hinge and the wrist, although looking to be on a ball, can only really be rotated. There is a waist joint so the top torso can be swiveled from side to side. The hips feel like a ball joint and can be moved a in most directions, just not a great deal. The knee joint is both a hinge and swivel and the ankles swivel also. Sadly the figure is almost impossible to stand on its own, even with this leg articulation, as the feet are sculpted to be standing on its tip toes. Thank fully NECA have included a rectangular clear base which has two peg holes for the feet and a support behind each peg to fill in the gap under the tip-toing position. The stand does a job, but anyone who doesn't like the use of stands in a display is going to have to think creatively to have this one standing up straight The Deacon is packed with a few accessories. The first is an Engineers fossil head complete with the Pressure suit helmet which can be displayed in place over the head or separate. This is really well sculpted and is painted really well too - better than the figure they put out. It doesn't do anything, but designed as a diorama decoration piece only. Also included are two proto-worms, the long lost relative of the facehuggers. These are molded onto what feels like a flexible metal strip so they can be bent to shape. Sadly they lack any real detail at this scale, and the pose-ability isn't good enough to have them rearing up ready to attack. They are also sculpted with two holes in each snake which are there to prevent the rubber splitting when you bend them. I suspect collectors will have them laying limp to the side of the Deacon or throwing them in that bits box. The Deacon is a difficult figure to rate as many of its down sides are from the design in the movie more than the job NECA has done. That being said the arm articulation is a short cut and the paint job is too basic and heavy handed. The inability to stand on its own is a shame and the snake accessories are a good idea executed badly. For me I will give the Deacon a 2 out of 5 score. Prometheus is a niche market, and I am glad I own the majority of the figures produced - and if you are interested, now is a great time to pick them up at rock bottom prices. I predict a possible re-surge in interest if and when the new movie hits the cinema. ​

Hasbro has confirmed that their Hero 5 points of articulation 6 inch figures are coming to Aldi in the UK We are aware so far of the range including First Order Storm Trooper First Order Snow Trooper Finn Kylo Ren Darth Vader Euro pricing has these around 11.95 which translates to around £8 in the UK Time to keep an eye on those Aldi aisles

CLICK HERE for the full archive review and gallery Among collectors, particularly those of classic movies and horror, the Cult Classic range from NECA brought about some of the most iconic movie characters and anti-heroes to life as 7" figures. Running from 2005 through to 2008, many of these Cult figures are now highly sought after and worth much more than their original RRP. In this review we go back to 2005 and series 1 and take a look at The Crow. The Crow is arguably one of my favourite movie characters and this series 1 release depicts him in his most iconic look from the movie with the long tattered coat. NECA's early figures lacked any form of usable articulation so let's get that out of the way first. Eric comes with a head joint which allows for some side to side movement until the hair stops any further movement. The arms are on a rotating shoulder joint and simply let you raise Eric's open armed pose either higher or lower, once you are happy with the arm position you can then swivel the wrists to allow the hands to match the pose. A waist joint is visible, but doesn't move. The legs are then also on a swivel joint and although they move they do nothing as the stance is fixed in the sculpt. To help Eric stand you can rotate the feet, and if you have the complete figure can match the peg hole on Eric's boots to the peg on the graveyard stand. Sadly as Eric's feet are close together and his arms wide apart he has a tendency to lean, even when on the stand, so for my display I have dropped Eric onto a Kaiser stand which locks around the waist of the figure. So articulation isn't great, but the sculpt on the other hand is stunning. The head captures Brandon Lee perfectly with the hair sculpted around the face with individual strands coming off the fringe to dangle in front of the face. The jacket, which is a separate piece in soft rubber, flows beautifully down Eric's slim frame and flares out at the bottom. The coat is designed to include damage and there are large holes and a couple of tears in the rear. The wrists are wrapped in black ribbon and that stretches onto the hands. Under the coat is the ripped vest and waist wraps and down into the skin tight black trousers. The figure is finished in large unfastened boots which include intricate elements in terms of the laces and numerous lace holes. For a figure in essentially an all black outfit, the paint applications are particularly good. The trousers, top and then jacket are all done in a slightly different finish of black so all three don't look the same and work as individual pieces of clothing. Buttons on the trousers are picked out in a bronze colour, whilst the lace holes int he boots are silver - this is brilliant attention to detail as many would have done both in the same colour. The head is the true work of art with the face paint replicated really well so that it looks like face paint - what I mean by this is you can make out skin tones underneath and there are variations in colour rather than a flat white. The eyes are the smallest detail on the figure, yet stare out at you behind the black eye make up and from beneath the strands of hair. As I mentioned earlier, if you are lucky enough to pick up a complete figure he comes along with a graveyard stand into which you can peg the figures feet. Into this then slots a head stone. The headstone is a great piece on its own - textured to feel like stone and with the cross a relief sculpt and the name ERIC DRAVEN actually carved into the finish as is the cherub head and wings. The paint is a grey, but then dry brushed in a lighter tone and with then green dry brushing towards the base to represent moss. The base itself is a little plainer, but is well done in grass and mud tones - its just a pity the figure doesn't want to stand up all to well when pegged on the base. Eric is also packed with The Crow itself which slots into a hole on Eric's shoulder. The crow is well sculpted but doesn't sit all too naturally on the shoulder, in fact NECA left it out of a lot of promo shots which may tell a story in itself. I display Eric without the crow. The one omission that was not included on this series 1 figure, but was later packed in to a shirtless Eric in 2008's Hall of Fame releases, is Eric's guitar. In the gallery below be advised I have added the McFarlane Crow Guitar to my figure. If you want to display your long coat Eric Draven with a Guitar then you will also need to get the older McFarlane version, or the aforementioned shirtless 2008 version of Eric. All in all, Eric Draven from The Crow is a stunning piece that will look brilliant in a collection of Horror, Cult or just movie 7" figures. Yes, the articulation is lacking - but even had this figure had all the movement in the world, most of us would still have displayed him in the pose NECA chose anyway. Sculpt, considering it is 10 years old, blows a lot of the modern stuff away, and the paint is perfect and with nice touches of detail like the variation between buttons and lace holes. If you don't have this figure, I suggest you track him down. Prices continue to rise and it is unlikely this franchise will ever be revisited like others in the Cult Classic range have. I score Eric Draven a 4 out of 5.

CLICK HERE for the full archive review and gallery In 2015, after a couple of years of exile, Character Options, Underground Toys and Toys R Us have joined forces to bring 5 inch Doctor Who figures back to UK toy shelves. As well as stocking the collectors series of boxed figures (alongside Forbidden Planet), Toys R Us have commissioned some blister packed figures which cover series 1 to 8 of the new series. So far, at time of writing, all of these figures have been released previously in the main range that ran from 2005 to 2012. In these "advance" reviews I am using the original release figure to review ahead of these being in store at Toys R Us as of November 2009. Should the repack contain any new features, paint work or articulation then I will amend the reviews accordingly. Our first review takes us back to Series 3 (2007) and the 10th Doctor era. In one of the most frightening adventures of the new series, and one that featured very little of the Doctor, Sally Sparrow found herself up against the terrifying Weeping Angels. Character Options Who figures have never been massively articulated, enough to do a job and keep costs low enough for both collectors and kids. The Weeping Angel contains even less than normal, with the whole bottom section of the figure a static piece. The sculpt on the Angel is a reasonable job to capture the fact that this character is essentially a statue, however the figure is now 8 years old and does sadly looked dated vs the newer releases. The head doesn't really capture the blank terrifying expression of the Angels - althoug the eyes are nicely done but the nose seems a tad too long and the mouth not quite right. The hair is sculpted well and works round to a bob at the back. The whole head looks like it is on a ball joint, but it is a peg only so only side to side movement can be achieved there is no option to look up and down - and this is a shame as the head could do with being tilted upwards a few more degrees. The arms are articulated at the shoulders, but again on a peg which means they can only move in one direction. A bicep swivel, jointed elbow and rotating wrists does allow you to move the arms to what I would describe as a lunging pose and putting four of then together round a TARDIS in this pose does replicate one of the key scenes from Blink! really well. There is no getting away from the fact the arms are spoiled by the articulation, and for me the figure could have done without the elbow and bicep movement and would have looked better for it. Spinning the Angel round and the two wings are clipped into sockets on the rear of the figure. These sockets are themselves articulated and allow the wings to be flat against the rear of the Angel or swept further back. The waist is a joint of some form as the figure is clearly a top and bottom half - but the joint at the waist allows no movement, and once again I am left thinking "less would have been more" and by removing the joint the figure would have looked much better. Paint application is a flat grey colour all over and over this are some lighter grey dry brushing to bring out the details and fold of the stone statues clothes. The paint could have been neater and a darker wash before the dry brush would have defined the sculpt much more. The figure will always suffer from varying applications of paint and you won't find two Angels identical the same. On some examples (I have four) you will find the arms are a lighter tone of grey, and you will also find plenty of blemishes within the paint where the colours have been sloppily applied. As a choice of re-release, the Weeping Angel does make sense on paper - it is one of the iconic enemies purely from the new series. However, packing a figure with such limited paint and articulation and with a sculpt 8 years old is perhaps not going to win a lot of plaudits. Considering that Toys R Us are going to be charging £14.99 for this, the same as say the brand new 8th Doctor in Collectors boxed packaging, I can see the Angel warming a few pegs in the near future. Even though this figure is 8 years old, I am going to score it as I would a brand new figure and against the other Who figures of 2015. The Angel is OK but suffers from a "not quite right" head sculpt, too much useless and unsightly articulation and a lazy paint job. She scrapes a 2 out of 5 with the articulated wings just saving her from a 1 out of 5 score.

When Disney first unveiled their Diecast Star Wars Elite Action figures at D23 I was pretty impressed. When they then landed the 6 Force Awakens figures on Force Friday I was blown away, particularly with the Flame Trooper and Captain Phasma. Sadly, as collectors started to pick these up it became apparent that rather than a 6" 1/12 scale like Hasbro's Black Series, these came in around 7" 1/10 scale. Not wanting to mis-match on scales and not wanting to start a new line from scratch, I left the Elite series alone. We then found out that the 6 Original & Prequel Trilogy figures seen in the D23 box set were arriving on a staggered release up to the release of The Force Awakens, and I decided that out of all of them that General Grievous was a must as it was a figure Hasbro are yet to tackle and the scale issue wouldn't matter too much with Grievous being an over-sized figure. Grievous hit UK stores as of the 27th of October, but rather than every Disney store - they restricted him to just 7 across the UK. I managed to get to the Trafford Centre on the 28th and picked up the last one on the shelves. All the Elite series come in a stunning presentation box which is perfectly designed for MIB collectors. The large window shows off the figure against a classy red background. The brushed steel box with its high gloss red trim adds an exclusive look with the character text picked out in plain black. The rear of the box stays away from any artwork but instead a bit of blurb about the Elite series itself, then some bio of the character. Grievous comes in an over-sized box compared to the other figures, and fair play to Disney for sticking with the £18.95 UK RRP when it would have been reasonable to charge a higher price for what is a larger box & figure. Sadly it at this point, the un-boxing, that this review will take a negative turn. Once out of the box you are faced with a good 10 minutes wrangling with the 12 twist ties that are holding Grievous in place. Once released you can see why the twist ties were necessary as instead of being tight jointed like say a Hasbro or NECA figure, Grievous just "flops" out of the box - and in my case one of his arms wasn't even attached to the body. Each arm is on a basic ball joint, but the material is a plastic and therefore the arms pop off far too easily. Each arm is articulated at the elbow, but barely move. Each hand is on a ball joint but rather than moving smoothly feel like they are about to snap when you try to move them. The head rotates ever so slightly from side to side and that is it for articulation on the top half. Moving down to the legs you get a hip joint and a knee joint, both of which are loose and therefore Grievous is impossible to stand on his own. No fear you think, he comes with a pegged stand. This in itself is a nice piece and Hasbro could take a lesson here. The purpose however of a stand is to allow a figure to, well stand. This one has one peg that fits into just one of Grievous' feet - and even once locked in, the General just flops over. To get any pictures of all in a vertical position I had to use a Kaiser Doll stand to keep the figure upright. The accessories that come with the figure are a cloak, and four light sabers. Starting with the sabers, each hilt is different and from what I can see reasonably accurate to the film. But then all that hard work is ruined as the blades are just a painted pastel colour, no attempt to get a translucent effect. The next problem is that Grievous won't hold the sabers in the conventional sense. Each hand is too wide open and has no articulation to close the grip. That being said, you can balance each saber hilt into a hand and have Grievous in offensive mode vs your Black Series Obi Wan. The cloak I must admit is well done in a soft rubber material which drapes round the neck piece. Again though, good start but poor finish as the cloak doesn't sit flush to the back of the figure and rides up into two points that don't physically meet any part of Grievous body. Not a big issue when viewed from the front, but any side view of the figure and the cloak looks like it is floating in mid air a good half inch from the body. It is also too long as the only way to have the cloak not touching the floor means positioning Grievous into a tip-toe position and with no ankle joint this again looks unnatural. Taking away a few positives, and the sculpt is really good in the main and captures the ceramic look of Grievous' armour. The under parts are quite soft in the sculpt and would have looked a tad better with harder lines and more angular. Paint is pretty basic, but I must admit they have done a nice job of the eyes beneath the mask piece. Some weathering would have improved the figure also as he looks too clean. All in all this figure is sadly a wreck. The basic of any collectors line is for the figure to look good, display nicely and stand on its own. Disney have gone for looks but absolutely no thought has been put into the design. In fact I suspect these figures (I have heard similar issues with other Elite figures not standing or being top heavy) were designed purely for display in their box. The die-cast element should work really well on droids and armoured troops, but Grievous is more plastic than anything and the joints which need to be metal and robust and cheap and nasty and will cause collectors no end of frustration. I am so disappointed at this point I am not even going to open an Archive page for Elite Series reviews and galleries. You can checkout the full catalogue of pictures on my facebook page HERE. If I was going to score Grievous, then I will give him one star on the back of a decent enough sculpt. This figure should have been a triumph and instead will leave most collectors frustrated - expect to see lots of returns in stores this week and lots of complaints next week when the online orders start to land. If you are still on the fence about this one, my advice is to wait for Hasbro, Bandai/Figuarts or Mafex to do a version and pay the extra that he will cost from them

Toys “R” Us has linked up with Character Options to bring to Doctor Who fans young and old a very special collector’s series of figures that will be available only in Toys “R” Us Stores in the UK . The new collection of 11 Figures has launched and will be displayed in brand new resealable packaging that allows the figures to be enjoyed out of pack while also storable in pristine condition. The new 5inch figure series has been created in response to the great demand from Doctor Who fans who are eager to see the return of the highly details larger format. It will include: Clara Oswald (played By Jenna Coleman) – the most recent time travelling companion of The Doctor Rose Tyler (played By Billie Piper) with K9 Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) in her famed police outfit Three separate Eleventh Doctor figures (played by Matt Smith): One in purple Jacket , another donning a cowboy hat as in Doctor Who - A Christmas Carol, and finally a classically posed Eleventh Doctor with a his ubiquitous Sonic device Four versions of the current and Twelfth Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi) are also part of the line-up. Known for being a rather dapper Time Lord, there is a choice of figure in White, Black, Purple or Polka Dot shirt. And last but definitely not least a brand new Eighth Doctor figure (played by Paul McGann) and as seen in the episode Night of The Doctor. The Eighth Doctor has never before been seen in the 5 inch figure format and so this piece it bound to whip up a storm with fans. What’s more, to add variety to this stunning Collector’s series, four 3.75 inch Wave 4 figures will also be available. Al Dewar, Product Development Director, Character Options commented: “This collector’s series is really special. The fans have been requesting a return to the 5.5 inch format for a long time and in producing this collection I feel we have brought to them exactly what they have been demanding. The most exciting part for me however, is the creation of the Eighth Doctor figure, which is often seen as the missing piece for the true Doctor Who collector.” Mike Coogan, Marketing & eCommerce Director, Toy “R” Us further commented: “Toy “R” Us has a particular affinity with the Doctor Who fan and each year we like to bring to them something that they could not get anywhere else. This new series is exceptional and I believe one of the most comprehensive collector’s series to date - It will be an instant hit with all collectors. You can check out our Doctor Who Archive including reviews of the 12th Doctor figure by CLICKING HERE

CLICK HERE for the full archive review and image gallery Liz Sherman appeared in both Hellboy movies, but it was Hellboy 2 in 2008 that saw her Action Figure added to Mezco's 7" releases. Liz comes packed in a standard clam-shell packaging. The front panel is decorated in a bronze/gold colour with the HB2 logo and the cog's that symbolise the Golden Army. The backing card includes a blown up view of Hellboy himself, and the reverse includes a plot outline for the movie as opposed to a bio of Liz's character. The rest of the back is dedicated to images of the other figures from the range. Out of the packaging and Liz comes packed with a two alternative hands. The alternative right hand is sculpted holding her BPRD revolver, whilst the alternative left hand is sculpted with a blue flame effect. Considering this figure is now 7 years old, the sculpt holds up really well. The head is a close likeness to Selma Blair and the hair is style is sculpted and layered nicely around the head. The leather jacket contains a tonne of detail, from the "Cantona" collars to the pockets and buttons, which are all sculpted into the design. Beneath the jacket, and Liz has her crucifix on a choker around her neck. The arms follow a similar sculpt of folds and ruffles and stop just after the elbow joint. It is a this point that the lower arm and hands pop off to be replaced with whatever combination you wish to use on display. Liz has a belt that is a separate piece to the figure, although not removable. The belt contains a selection of pouches and a larger over-sized belt buckle which is emblazoned with the BPRD fist holding a sword hilt symbol. If there is any criticism of the top half of Liz it is that she is a little comic in proportions with a ridiculously tiny waist which then isn't helped by the oversize belt. The lower half suffers a little with the hips where looks have been sacrificed for articulation, it gives Liz a little bit of an odd look where her thighs seem to be much wider and away from her waist. Like the top the textile of the cloth for the trousers is well executed and the legs finish in some suitably Gothic looking biker boots with three fastening buckles and a chunky sole. Paint is pretty well executed throughout. The head is neatly done with eyes and lips picked out really well. There is a tad too much "blusher" on her cheeks which do look like Liz has just come in from the cold. The crucifix is picked out in a plain black, and this is a tad messy as the skin tone has bled into the necklace in places. All the clothing is well detailed with bronze and silver used to pick out the buttons and buckles. There is some subtle dry brushing on the black outfit as well that brings out the folds of the cloth. The only downside is that the whole outfit looks like one jumpsuit rather than the leather jacket and black jeans as used in the movie. The paint effect used is great for the jacket and works really well but I would have liked them to do a darker flatter black for the trousers to break up the figure and match the movie costume a little better. Articulation is pretty decent, but no where near as good as what we would expect nowadays. The head is on a ball joint and rotates fully round as well as looking up and down. Liz can also cock her head to the side. The shoulders are on ball joints so can straight out to the side or above her head, this allows you to pose Liz in a firing pose with her gun or a charging pose with her flame effect. Elbows are a basic bend and there is no swivel at the elbow or upper arm. By the nature of the swap-able element for the fore arms these rotate in their peg socket and are easy enough to swap over. By being designed to slot in at the sleeve of the jacket the joint is also well hidden. The swap-able parts work, and you must assume this was a cost saving decision considering other figures of the era come with separate weapons that can be slotted into the molded hands. Zero movement at the waist and there is no torso joint either so Liz is pretty fixed in her upper body position. The hips, as discussed, have a good range of movement with articulation chosen here over looks. Sadly the hips are quite loose, even on a new figure directly out of the packaging and I would guess Liz will eventually become difficult to stand in time. There is a well hidden knee joint to allow Liz to kneel if needed or assume a seated position. There is then an ankle rocker, which works really well to ensure Liz is stood flat to the floor when posed. It is always hard scoring a figure of this age as you just can't judge it against the standards of say NECA's new releases. For a 7 year old figure, Liz stands up really well in terms of sculpt and her articulation is still reasonably comparable to say what we are getting from Diamond. My gripes are around the over-sized belt which looks ridiculous, the lack of paint variation between jacket and trousers, and those horrible hips and thighs which just look plain odd. Put on the positives, the swap-able arms do work and Liz looks awesome posed up with Hellboy and other figures from the range - and in fact doesn't look overly out of place with other 7" figures in my collection (she has aged well). I am going to give Liz a 3 out of 5, a solid result just not as good as other figures from the same movie. ​

CLICK HERE for the full archive review and image gallery NECA's Terminator licence saw its first figures in 2009, and from then through to 2012 it saw NECA turn out some awesome figures from the first two Terminator movies. As with any licence, the bulk of the figures were of the main character - the Terminator itself as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2015 NECA is returning to the Terminator licence, however this time it is doing it within their Ultimate format. The Ultimate format appears to borrow some elements from Far East figure companies like Figma, where they release figures which include a quantity of interchangeable parts so that the collector has a range of "looks" that they can achieve to display their figure. The Ultimate T-800 arrives in a boxed packaging which is a world away from the standard clamshells that the 2009-12 range utilised. Unlike the Endoskeleton (not an Ultimate figure) that arrived ahead of this figure the Ultimate T2 has now window through which to see the figure, but rather a front flap that opens via a Velcro closer so you can view the contents. I am not a MIB collector, but if I was I wouldn't be a huge fan of this packaging format. Although very attractive, it could just as well be an empty box on display unless you found a way to prop the front flap open. The box is essentially a gloss black in colour and is accentuated with a blue steel trim and flashes. The imagery on the front is of Arnie from Terminator 2 as opposed to the actual figure itself. Both side panels see a repeat of the Arnie image and the Terminator 2 : Judgment Day text is emblazoned down either spine. The rear contains actual images of the figure, with three of its "looks" illustrated. There is also a paragraph of blurb detailing the plot overview for T2. Inside of the front flap is a full size image of the figure in an atmospheric blue lit shot which looks pretty impressive. The figure slides out of the box in an outer cardboard tray which is coloured to match the blue/black colour scheme. Inside the inner perspex tray is the figure itself, two alternative heads and a quantity of weaponry which we will cover as we move through the review. Let's start with the figure as it comes out of the box, and this is essentially the Cyberdyne showdown Terminator with its bandoleer of grenades. The sculpt is perfectly done and you can tell NECA have had a number of years and licences to capture Arnold's body shape and features. The body starts with a grey vest onto which is added a seperate leather jacket piece. The jacket is extremely well detailed with zips and fasteners and a number of bullet holes across both the front and the back. The jacket works down to the hands which are gloved. The trousers are again a leather look and include two zip detail at the boot area and the figure is finished in the black motorcycle boots. Considering the figure is essentially one colour, black, the paint application is really well done with washes and highlights to bring out the folds in the fabric. All the zips and buckles are picked out in silver, and without a hint of paint bleed or splashes. The three heads all reflect a slightly different look. The first is the plain undamaged head that is the one we saw originally on the Cyberdown Showdown figure. There is then a head with the sunglasses as originally included on the Pescadero Escape and the Battle Across Time. The final, and most detailed head, is the battle damaged version where sections of the face are blasted away to reveal the T-800 Endoskeleton underneath. This is the one we got on the Steel Mill figure. All three heads are really well done, capturing Arnie's look and expression from the movie. All are really well painted with a base skin tone and the battle damaged in particular has a lot of realistic paint apps around the damage and down into the silver Endoskeleton skull and that iconic red eye. When I first saw the heads were solid pieces with the neck, rather than the usual ball jointed head that pops onto the neck, I was concerned about movement. Thankfully even with this type of joint the head can rotate a full 360 degrees and can also look up and down. The arms are on ball joints and can just about sneak out to just under 90 degrees to the body. They can also be raised above his head. The elbows both bend and swivel and along with the swivel wrists it allows the T800 to hold all three of the larger weapons with both hands if you wish. Unlike a lot of modern figures, NECA have put in a waste swivel and this allows the figure to stand side on when being posed. The hips have a good range of movement and if you did want to sit Arnie down he could sit or kneel. NECA always do an awesome job of disguising joints, and the knees on this figure are a prime example with the joint designed into the folds of the trousers so that it is almost invisible. Neither knee bends a full 90 degrees, but again who wants T800 Arnie bending down or crouching. The final articulation is within the boots which are on rockers to allow the T800 to stand flat footed. Outside of the heads the figure comes with a small armoury. The bandoleer is removable and pops off over the head if you don't want it on display. The shotgun (my favourite) fits snugly into the right hand and can be held in a two handed pose if needed, as can the grenade launcher. The hand gun fits in the right hand only and is a bit "meh" compared to the others. They all however pale into insignificance with the mini-gun which comes with its own ammo bag that slings over Arnie's shoulder. All of this adds up to a near perfect figure and with it you can replicate almost all the looks from the T2 movie. The only real look missing is the man or machine look which would have needed the jacket to be removable and with two alternative arms - I can live without these. Picky me would maybe have liked alternative flesh coloured hands for the Pescadero look - but sometimes you can have so much choice. Ultimate T-800 can walk away with nothing less than a perfect 5 out of 5 score. Packaging aside, there are no flaws what so ever with the figure and if this is the benchmark for future Ultimate Terminator figures then I am really excited for what is yet to come.

​ CLICK HERE for the full archive review and image gallery Diamond Select Toys have been producing Marvel 7" (1:10 scale) figures for over 13 years now and they have now added a DC licence to their Select figures offering and are bringing us figures directly from the Gotham TV show. The first wave of these has hit as of October 2015 and contains three figures all taken from season 1. As well as Selina Kyle and Detective Jim Gordon, the series is rounded off with Oswald Cobblepot, more commonly known as Penguin - and it is the Penguin we are reviewing here. Attendees of SDCC in July of 2015 had the opportunity to pick up an early variant of this figure, a roughed up Penguin with cuts and bruised face - essentially the figure is identical to the main release so my review covers both variants and I have included some stock images of the SDCC version to the gallery. Unlike the SDCC version, which came in thinned down packaging with no diorama base, the main release versions have gone with the full size Select Packaging that Marvel collectors will be used to. The card back is fully decorated with images of the figure, a biography and images of the other two figures in the range. The left panel (as you look from the front) has a full art panel of the Penguin as played by Robin Taylor. The front left flash has the Gotham TV show logo and runs with the tag line "Before the Legend". There is then a triangular flash that repeats the Robin Taylor image and details the name of the character, in this case just "Penguin" rather than his full name. Out of the packet you will find Penguin tied into the inner tray alongside two alternative hands, an umbrella and an apple. Behind the tray is the diorama piece, and I will look at this a little later. Penguin stands 6 1/2" high which is a tad under the usual 7" size of Select figures, but is reasonably accurate to the actor's real height of 1.6m and will ensure that Penguin remains a diminutive figure beside any future characters like Butch or Falcone. I am going to start with articulation, which is a pretty standard level vs other Select figure I own. The head is on a ball joint, but will only rotate rather than look up and down. Sadly this leaves Penguin looking down in a lot of poses. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder and can get out to the side and over the Penguin's head - none of these look overly realistic so in the main the arms will remain by Penguin's side. The elbows are jointed and can also rotate as can the hands. Although he comes with two alternative hands, you will find both are left hands each with a slightly wider grip than the next, these are designed to be swapped over if you would like Penguin to be holding the apple accessory. The hands swap easily enough, but unlike other Select figure I have had with swappable hands there is some significant paint rub when you do this so I wouldn't be changing the hands too often. The apple sits neatly into either of the open hands and is a decent enough sculpt for what it is with an uneven shape and a sculpted stalk. There is a torso joint with the ability to move left and right and add some lean forward and backwards. The waist is then fixed and the hips are on a two way joint which means you should be able to get Penguin into a sitting position, or the splits. Sadly the coat, even though it has some flexibility, blocks both these movements. The double jointed knees do a good job if you want to kneel Penguin and there are rockers on the ankles to aid stability. The huge miss is the legs sit too far apart and the feet cannot be splayed outwards, this means Penguin stands like any regular figure and not the pose we are used to throughout the history of batman with his legs together and feet apart. This is a shame, although if you don't mind mismatched thighs you can use the thigh swivel to rotate the feet outwards and get someway towards what I would call a classic Penguin stance. Onto sculpt and it is a really good job with a very good likeness for Taylor as well as capturing that sneer that he often sports in the show. The hair is nicely layered and pointed up and holds a good degree of realism vs what we see in the show. The clothes are particularly plain but there is a sculpted neck tie, waistcoat and then a jacket. Trousers run down to a pair of laced shoes. The Paint is where Penguin comes apart. As I mentioned early I found a disturbing amount of paint rub when swapping the hands, and this seems to stem from the fact Diamond haven't cast the head and hands in their usual flesh tone and instead it is painted with a pasty complection to match the character. From a distance this looks really good, but up close and to the touch it is rough and chalky and makes Penguin's face look like he may have been taking make up tips from The Joker. Beyond this unusual flesh paint everything else is pretty well done. The eyes and mouth are neatly and realistically painted and there is some shading in the ears and the lines of the face to bring out the sculpt further. The waistcoat is a particularly nice chequered affair and the jacket has green lapels which stand out vs the greyer finish of the rest of the suit. All of this is pretty neat with just some slightly bleeding from the shirt collar onto the neck tie. The other issue is that the paint on the hair doesn't wrap around the back of the head towards the socket. That means if you are viewing the figure from behind the back of the head looks a tad off - but who displays their figures backwards? The umbrella, the other accessory included, is sadly bent straight out of the packet and is made from a soft rubber. It can be straightened in hot water but its quite tricky to get it perfectly shaped. The handle will hang over Penguin's arm, or you can put it just about in the right hand to act as a walking stick. Moving to the base, and while I understand why the dockside is used and its significance to the character - I find myself looking a the series 2 Alfred and wonder how much better Penguin may have been with a bar section from Fish Mooneys? The dock piece does a job, but doesn't have any pegs to slot Penguin into. I have already discarded the base to the parts box and dropped Penguin onto a NECA clear base (which he fits nicely). It is always difficult to benchmark and score a brand new range, but I am going to do this using the information to hand and by making comparisons to the other Select range I have collected and reviewed. Penguin is a good sculpt and has a good range of articulation. The paint is well applied in the main, but that chalky skin texture is not nice and I think will chip and rub really easily if I am not careful. The apple and umbrella are decent enough accessories but the bendy umbrella is disappointing when it could have been easily been made of harder plastic and packed better. The base is a bit of a non-event and isn't dramatic enough to add anything to the display. And the choice of supplying the figure with 3 left hands and one right is plain odd and I would have preferred a hand that could do something with the umbrella. Finally the Penguin "stance" for want of a better phrase is a miss and even by tweaking the thigh swivel and bending the knees, he just doesn't look right. I am going to be go with a 3 out of 5, which may be a tad harsh but he certainly has too many flaws to be a 4. As always the first wave figures from any new range quite often set the bar and the range improves from there, I hope this is true of the Gotham range. I intend to pick up and review Selina and Gordon later in the year and will then be counting down to the slightly more interesting wave 2 which contains Ed Nygma, Det Bullock and Alfred with that wonderful Wayne Manor Fireplace.