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Despite a number of comic versions and a wealth of films to pick from, Diamond Select have only ever done two figures from the X-Men film series - both of which were the iconic Wolverine. The first was in 2009 and based on Logan's appearance in X-Men Origins. This early figure, in jeans and white T-shirt, was updated in 2013 with a brand new version as seen in the standalone Wolverine film of the same year. Wolverine, in both instances, is becoming a real grail figure for MS collectors and in particular the newer version which was a huge improvement on the first in terms of sculpt and articulation. I was lucky enough recently to get hold of this newer Logan and I am so pleased to be able to review him for you today. Wolverine comes packed with a plethora of options which means from one figure you can achieve a quantity of different looks. There are 3 heads in the pack, one is neutral, one is snarling and one is screaming. You can then choose classic Wolverine "bone claws", or the more iconic Adamantium claws. And if neither of these are too your liking, you can stick with normal hands. Normal Hands? I hear you cry, why on earth would we - well the normal hands are there to hold the samurai sword which also comes packed in. With all these accessories you can forgive DST for not packing any background pieces which was included in the original 2008 figure Starting with the sculpt and this is probably the best Movie Select that Diamond have done to date (May 2015). The heads are all a striking resemblance to Hugh Jackman, and all three of them capture an iconic look for Hugh from the films, The chest is sculpted really well with lots of definition on the muscles, this continues down the arms and to the hands which are all well designed. Hand set one is the bone claws (pre Weapon X), set two are the classic Adamantium claws and set 3 are plain to hold the Samurai sword that is also packed in with the figure. The trousers, are fairly plane but work well and the figure is finished off with some nicely done army boots. The only criticism you could heap on the sculpt is the decision to do Logan as we found him at the start of the movie, rather than in say a white vest or leather jacket. Paint is superb also, bringing out all the detail in the face, particularly the eyes and teeth. There is subtle shading on the skin and hair is painted on the chest and arms which at this scale, and on what is essentially a £20 figure, is really well done. The pants are painted green with a brown wash to dirty them up and there is a similar highlight layer on the boots. Articulation, and we still haven't found a downside. The head is ball socket for swapping out with the 3 options, but can also revolve a full 360 degrees and look up and down. Arms are on a ball jointed shoulder so can be moved 90 degrees out from the body and then swing back and forth with a good range to get them to either straight out, straight back or even straight up over-head. After the ball joint shoulder there is a biceps swivel to further aid movement and a standard pivot elbow. The hands are then on a standard joint but also rotate. The chest is jointed, and here is a niggle as if you lean Logan too far back on the chest joint you can see a noticeable gap - not that you will ever use that position as Logan will always be leaning forward menacingly. The hips are ball on a two way joint, and without any bulky armour or cloaks this is the first select figure you can get into a true sitting mode. There is then a thigh swivel, double jointed knees and ball jointed ankles. All in all this allows Logan to get into plenty of dynamic poses. So what's the downside? Well nothing really, Movie Wolverine is as close to a perfect figure at this scale and price point as you will get. In fact I will go as far as say that the head sculpt is knocking on the door of some of the higher end product in terms of quality. I can gripe a little about the choice of outfit, but then again if you stuck a jacket and vest onto Logan you would love the articulation which is as much of a contributor to this figure as the sculpt. The only downsize is getting hold of the figure, which is already circa £60-£80 boxed and around £30-£40 loose (prices as of June 2015). Wolverine deserves nothing less than 5 out of 5, and I hope that at some point in the future that Diamond / Marvel / Disney (whoever is restricting the range) can see their way to give us both additional Wolverines (this head would have worked great on a Days of Future Past Wolverine) and some more of the great characters from the X-Men Movie Universe.

It is 2010 and Iron Man 2 is out at the cinema. Despite doing numerous comic characters over the last 8 years, Diamond had only one Marvel Movie figure to their name, an Origins Wolverine. Iron Man 2 would see the start of figures from what would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The main choices of what to release from the film were obvious - to get the movie Iron Man out into circulation. To go with him Diamond avoided Whiplash or any of the Hammer Drones and went instead with the Mark 1 War Machine. At the time of writing this review (June, 2010) the War Machine Mk1 is one of the scarcest Marvel Movie Select figures and comes up very rarely for sale. There are two variants of War Machine. The standard release had a red arc reactor, whilst a Borders Exclusive (as we are reviewing here) had the blue arc reactor. The WM1 is a chunky figure once it comes out the box, standing a touch taller than the Mk4/6 Iron Man from the same film. The sculpt, considering it is 5 years old at the time of writing this, is very crisp overall and there is plenty of detail built into the armour - a lot of which is obviously the same as the IM Mk4/6, but you can forgive that as Tony himself recycled parts all the time. If you look closely at some parts such as the silver panels on the biceps or the two silver chest panels either side of the arc reactor, and WM1 starts to show his age as these are much clunkier and less defined than you will see on more recent models. Like the IM figures the head has a sculpted face under the mask, in this case it is a decent enough likeness of Don Cheadle. The mask is tackled using two prongs so you can pop the mask off and have it up or down. This works great up to the point you realise when the mask is down there are two holes in the head and these are a bit unsightly and I am glad later models have gone down the alternative head route. Paint is basic, essentially grey with silver panels as highlights. There is no wash (not sure its needed) to bring out any detail and the only other colours are on the mask and the arc reactor. The painting under the mask of Don Cheadle's features is crisp, but a little flat and more comic book than realistic. The painting is very neat with no paint bleed or wandering pupils in the eyes. Articulation back in 2010 was pretty basic on most Diamond Select figures. Although IM2 expanded articulation, WM1 remains a little restricted. The head rotates a full 360 degrees despite the chunky shoulders and can also look up and down to a certain degree. The arms are where there is a lot of missing articulation as the shoulders can only rotate one way to the body, there is no ball joint to move them outwards to 90 degrees to the body - in fact the arms popped off when I tried to move them that way, The elbow is a simple joint allowing for 90 degree bend only (one way) until the armour stops the movement. The best movement is on the wrists which rotate and pivot, but again are restricted by the wrist armour. There is no chest pivot and no waist articulation. The next point of movement is therefore the hips, which thank fully are on a ball joint. But again even with this the armour blocks most movement. The knees, like the elbows, are a simple bend (backwards) and there is a tiny bit of movement on the ankles. All of this means that you wont get WM1 into anything other than a neutral pose - but due to his weight and bulk you wont have an issue getting him to stand. Accessory wise WM1 is packed with a shoulder cannon which slots into his right shoulder. The cannon has a bit of movement, but can only really be posed in a firing position - there is no folded back option. WM1 is also packed with a diorama piece which arrives in 3 pieces and assembles to represent a Hammer Industries door, this is an identical sculpt to the diorama packed with Iron Man Mk4/6 but in this case coloured in a bronze finish. War Machine is a brutish piece and looks great on display. Ignoring his rarity, but taking into consideration he was developed and sculpted in 2010, I will give WM1 a 3 out of 5. Articulation does let him down slightly and is wasted in places when you consider the armour blocks movement. There are some less defined areas of sculpting and a couple more shades of grey/silver will have brought out more detail. A lot of issues were rectified on the later Mark 2 War Machine, but I think this one still has loads of merit, bags of character and I would encourage collectors to grab him if you get the opportunity

As is often the case Diamond Select produced an exclusive figure for Iron Man 3 which was sold exclusively in Disney Stores. The Iron Patriot is a repaint of War Machine and actually reflects more accurately what was seen in the film. We have covered the sculpt and articulation of this figure in our War Machine review, so if you have arrived here first then CLICK THROUGH to have a read of the War Machine review above to see what I think about the sculpt and articulation. The only difference between War Machine Mark 2 and the Iron Patriot is the same difference as the film, a paint job,. And what a paint job this is. Where as War Machine was a very muted monotone figure, Patriot just screams "look at me" even upstaging any of the Iron Man figures in your display. In the symbolic Red and Blue, both of these colours are applied in a a sharp metallic finish with the infils done in silver. The silver pieces appear much more reflective and brighter than the paint used on War Machine which gives the whole figure a sparkle. The decals are still included with wording on the shoulder pads and the forearms. Patriot also comes with the two head options - with the unmasked version being Colonel Rhodes and in my case is a bit crisper on the paint finish than the War Machine head. Iron Patriot however still carries the same gripes as its base companion with a wobbly right leg impeding him standing well and the shoulder cannon feeling flimsy. Because of these I can't score Patriot past the same 4 out of 5 I gave War Machine.... even with a killer paint job

The mark 2 War Machine in terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe never appeared on screen in Iron Man 3, but was still released by Diamond Select as part of their Iron Man 3 figures. The Mark 2 did appear in a comic prequel to the film which showed Tony Stark presenting Rhodes with an upgraded set of War Machine Armour. On screen the Mark 2 would get a paint job and go on to be the Iron Patriot - more on this later. The standard Mk2 release comes in the usual packaging we expect from Diamond with the usual high quality artwork on the side panel, and images of the figure and its counterpart (the Mark 43) on the reverse along with some detailed blurb about the figure. Once unpacked War Machine comes with a variety of "bits". Firstly there are two heads, the standard head and the unmasked James Rhodes. There is then the rear cannon which arrives in one piece, and the Hall of Armour diorama piece which is packed flat in 4 individual pieces. The sculpt is top notch, but I have come to expect as much from Diamond's 7" Movie range. As the whole figure is armoured the sculpt is broken down into various panels and pieces which are all very well detailed and link into each other - in many cases cleverly hiding one of the articulated joints. The head sculpt, or should I say face sculpt, of Rhodey is a good likeness for Don Cheadle. The paint on War Machine is pretty basic in terms of being two toned metallic. That being said all the pieces are well covered and there is no bleeding into corresponding panbels. The chest piece is painted with a red hue around the arc reactor and there are some nice decals on the arms and shoulders that link in to War Machines position in the US Military. My own gripe on the painting, and this likely varies by figure, is that my Rhodey eyes are a little "bog eyed". Articulation is very similar to the Mk43 Iron Man. The head is jointed and can look to either side and has a bit of up and down movement. The shoulders are ball jointed and cleverly covered by a shoulder pad which moves with the arm. There is an elbow joint and then a rotate and pivot joint in the wrist, all allowing War Machine to get into some decent poses with the arms - including that all important firing stance. These shoulders are prone to snapping. so be careful when posing the arms. As usual there is a torso joint which allows the torso to swivel side to side and gives War Machine a bit of range to lean forward and backwards. The legs are ball jointed at the hips and are quite exposed like the IM43 but in this case because the whole figure is grey the ball is less noticeable. Having the hips done this way allows for War Machine to have a greater range of movement as opposed to the early Iron Man armours which were heavily restricted by the sculpted hips (see Iron Man Mk6). The knees bend and there is a decent swivel and pivot joint at the ankles. That means Rhodey is pretty stable on his feet and stands very well. The only issue I have found, like many Selects, is a very loose leg which does tend to see the figure naturally slide into the splits. The head swaps easily enough, but I wouldnt want to do it to often as I would expect the paint to rub pretty easily. The shoulder cannon slots into a hole in the back and then swivels round and bends to a firing position. The mechanism isn't great and feels a bit flimsy so I think most people will leave it folded over the shoulder. The base is nice enough, albeit a bit plain and technically a little short once the figure is inside. All in all War Machine Mk2 is a solid figure with plenty of good points. The wobbly leg syndrome is worrying, and the cannon is not as great as I imagined. But he certainly deserves a 4 out of 5.

When I first got into Marvel Select Movie figures I decided that I would go for the definitive versions of each character - so in Spider Man's case I went with the most recent Amazing Spider Man 2 figure (reviewed further up). This decision was made after having a good nosey at the other Spider Man figures available and deciding the ASM2 figure was the "nicer looking". After going "completist" on Marvel Select Movie I have recently added the original Spider Man to my collection and can honestly say that this first movie Spider Man is massively under rated when photographed and in hand he is a stunning looking figure. Released in 2012 to coincide with the Spider Man reboot, starring Andrew Garfield, Spidey came packed with interchangeable hands and a display background that represented a New York Alley ledge. He would also be released as a Disney Exclusive Unmasked version and an extremely rare and sought after Metallic Finish. Articulation is not a strong point for Diamond figures, if you want massive articulation then head over to Hasbro's Marvel Legends, but Selects certainly deliver on looks and are always impressive display pieces. Spidey is no exception and looks really eye catching in any collection. Spidey stands just under 6 3/4" which for me looks spot on, particularly if you stand him with other Marvel Selects. To me Spidey is always that teenage boy and should always be a bit smaller and thinner than some of the bulkier hero's like Captain America. The sculpt is very good with the detail and texture in the suit being sculpted rather than painted on. Spidey comes with two sets of hands, one set is clenched fists, the other is in the web shooting pose. These slot in and out relatively easily. The unmasked version comes with an alternative Andrew Garfield head and some minor tweaks in the alternative hands which are sculpted un-gloved. The Garfield head is passable, but not a perfect likeness and it feels a bit soft in the sculpt, almost as if you were looking at a "blurry" Garfield. The alternative hands are a bit odd as they are Peter Parker's ungloved hand with the web shooters in place. Both of these are sculpted in the web shooting position which when displayed is a tad odd as I would have prefered bare skin hands that were perhaps sculpted to hold Spidey's mask. The paint is crisp and there is very little bleeding between blue & red. My two gripes, albeit minor, are the eye colour and the joints. The eyes are painted yellow and look a bit odd in certain lights - particularly when photographed, which is one of reasons that I was originally put off this version. Certainly if you look at some stills from the movie there is a yellow tint to the eyes, but not to this extent. Secondly the joints don't quite match the colour on the rest of the outfit. It is not a disaster, but isn't great when you inspect the figure close up. Articulation is standard on Spidey. You won't get him into many action poses, for that you will need the upgraded ASM2 figure from 2014. His head is on a ball joint and can achieve a full 360 degree rotation, and has a bit of up and down movement. The shoulders are ball jointed and then a standard elbow joint. The wrists can be rotated and then a hinge at the base of the hand allows some extra hand movement - useful to achieve web shooting poses. The chest is ball jointed to give a bit of left to right movement and the ability to lean him slightly forward and backwards. As with most selects there is no waist articulation. Like the shoulders the hips are on a ball joint and down to a double jointed knee which is crucial to get him into the wall pose with the display base. You can rota the lower leg around the shin, and the feet are on a swivel and pivot. The display piece is a nice touch and is designed to hang on a wall, which is a real innovative idea. This feature though is also it's downfall as it only comes with one wall hanging bracket in the centre. This is fine for the empty display, but add Spidey and gravity kicks in and the whole thing leans to the heavier side. Despite this it does provide a decent base on a shelf, and allows Spidey to be posed in a wall hanging pose rather than a neutral stance. So which Spidey should you select? The easy answer is get both, but if not then decide if you want looks or articulation. For articulation the newer version wins hands down, but check out our review of ASM2 as he is not as articulated as you may think. For looks and if you can look past the eye lenses, then go for this version. For me he stands out much better on a shelf with a brighter blue costume, displays really well on the wall diorama and looks great posed with The Lizard. Until the inevitable "new" Select Spider Man either next year as part of Civil War, or at the latest alongside the the next SM film, then I would actually recommend this first SM over the re-release from ASM2 which in my opinion gives away too much in looks and substance to try and get better articulation. If you ever get the opportunity to pick up the variants, then do not hesitate as these will continue to rise in price.

For a while I steered clear of the Marvel Select Chituari from Avengers Assemble. Having found one loose in a local store, and at just £7, I decided to take it home and have a decent look at it. The Chitauri came in Avengers packaging, along with Hawkeye, Mk6 Iron Man and Hulk. He is packed with a railing piece that connects up to the accompanying version that comes with Hawkeye. Aside from the scenery, the Chitauri comes with no other accessories. Once out of the box the Chitauri stands a good 7 1/2" high, which gives him a good 1/2 inch on the majority of the Avengers figures and gives him a bit on menace. The sculpt is average on this figure, but it all feels a little too soft and needs more definition and detail. The head is about the best bit, but you can see from the mouth plate it is too under defined. The armour, for want of a better word, goes down the chest into a larger piece around the waist and groin area. The arms and chest are muscled, but again too soft, and the hands don't get much better but are sculpted with the 2 thumbs and a plate across the rear of the hand. There are more amour plates down the legs and the sculpt finishes up with the large 3 toed feet - perhaps too large for my liking? Paint can be summed up by "too light". If you look at the Chitauri in the movie and then particularly the Hot Toys figures the Select version is too pale. He needs to be a few shades darker across the skin tone. The paint apps are pretty decent in terms neatness and there is an attempt to detail the armour and skin areas with washes. There are a few detailed bits of purple with virtually no bleed that sometimes happens on the more detailed areas. Articulation on the Chitauri starts with the usual ball jointed head - and in this case with nothing to foul it the head moves easily 360 degrees round and also up and down quite a way. the shoulders are jointed and can go back and forth and 90 degrees out to the side. The elbow is jointed and on a swivel, as is the wrist - this allows for a nice range of movement in the arms. There is a torso joint but no waist articulation. Hips are jointed and on a swivel and the knees are simply jointed. There is an ankle joint which may or may not be a rocker joint, but any movement is blocked by the armour. The accessory piece isn't up too much as it cannot be used as a stand, as the Chitauri wont fit in the gap behind the railings. It is also painted much differently to the corresponding piece with Hawkeye, which just looks odd when they are joined up,. The Chitauri is essentially a good start towards a great figure, but doesnt go far enough. I would like to see someone much more talented than I give the figure a new paint job and see if the sculpt can be brought out - or if the soft sculpt is just inherent on the figure. The other issue I have with the figure is the lack of any weaponry. The Chitauri were armed to the teeth, and sticking in an arm gun or the staff would have helped move the figure along - stick in an alternative unmasked head, or leader head, and Select could have shipped a few more and Select collectors could have done a bit more army building. As you can see from the gallery below, despite the flaws with the figure I have still gone out and bought a second. And I have also purchased some loose Gears of War weapons that I am painting up to go with the Chitauri. The Chitauri are now deployed flanking Loki As a background figure, it is good enough, but was capable of so much more and I don't think this hits DST's usual high standards. 2 out of 5 for me.

The 11th Series in our #1 selling line of Predators action figures brings new Predators to the hunt! Appearing for the first time ever as an action figure, the Wasp Predator comes from the classic fan film Dead End and includes an amazing new accessory – a staff with an Alien head impaled on the end. Up next is an Armored Combat version of the Lost Predator from Predator 2‘s Lost Tribe. This new take on the very popular Lost Predator features a brand new mask, backpack, armor and weaponry that fit with his tech look. The third figure in this new assortment was one of the most talked about figures at SDCC 2013: Thermal Vision Dutch! This special version of Dutch authentically replicates how the Predator sees him using his heat vision. The figure is cast in translucent green and is painted with “hot spots” of yellow and red. Comes complete with rifle, pistol, and knife accessories.

Taking inspiration from the original Kenner Expanded Universe designs, our team has applied modern sculpting, detail and articulation to upgrade these vintage Predators for the new millennium. This collection includes Lava Planet Predator, Hive Wars Predator, and Nightstorm Predator. Each Predator utilizes a different unique body, with over 20 points of articulation, accessories and intricate deco. Special blister card packaging is an homage to the classic card art as well, featuring custom illustrated art and a color pallete that harkens back to the toy shelves of 1993.

Exclusive Battle Damaged versions of both the Jungle Hunter & City Hunter from Predator and Predator 2. These figures stand 8″ tall and feature tons of detail and articulation and brand new features exclusive to this set. The Jungle Hunter features the debut of an all new more articulated lower body along with new bloody deco. The City Hunter Predator includes a brand new respirator mask, a battle damaged left removable left forearm and new bloody deco as well. Also exclusive to this set are 2 new trophy skulls not available anywhere else. Each Figure features over 25 points of articulation.

This special edition Final Battle Dutch Vs. Predator 2 pack features Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch against a wounded Jungle Hunter Predator - Exclusive to Toys R Us (US)

This special edition diorama measures over 11″ tall and nearly 12″ across and is a faithful replica to the Trophy Wall seen within the Predator spaceship at the end of Predator 2. This incredibly detailed diorama is a reward to the fans who have faithfully collected all the various Predators figures and Exclusives, they now have a place to display the various “trophy skulls” accumulated over the past 3 years. The diorama includes a series of plugs and attachments that will hold 8 different skulls. One large dinosaur-like skull is available exclusively with the Trophy Wall Diorama. Other skulls sold separately. A must have centerpiece for your Predator collection and a perfect place to display all of the Lost Tribe Predators. PREDATOR – Limited Edition Trophy Skulls Pack, containing 10 trophy skull collectibles, previously only available in various retail and convention exclusives. "The PREDATOR – Limited Edition Trophy Skulls Pack has been designed exclusively for fans," said Randy Falk, director of product development. "The pack is an opportunity for fans to purchase an assortment of 10 trophy skull collectibles at once, which will allow them to populate their trophy wall diorama or their displays at home." The specialty pack ships in an exclusive mailer and will carry no retail packaging.

As seen in the classic fan film Dead End, the Albino Predator features more than 25 points of articulation, including ball-jointed hips and double knee joints. Complete with exclusive albino paint and tribal deco, the Albino Predator is a one-of-a-kind and not to be missed at San Diego Comic-Con 2013!