John Ary here with a quick look at a few action figure lines that have been making headlines recently...
Marvel's Avengers from Lego
Care to take a guess at who the villains of the new Avengers movie will be? Sure, we’ve heard that the Skrulls will be along for the ride this summer and we’ve even seen some evidence. Now we get a new possibility with the release of these Avengers toy pics from Lego. None of the bad guys contained in the sets for Captain America’s Avenging Cycle, Hulk’s Helicarrier Breakout, and the Quinjet Aerial Battle seem to resemble the shape-shifting aliens responsible for the Secret Invasion storyline. These sets will hit retail in May. You can also see more pics here.
Deluxe Killer Croc and Mr. Freeze from DC Direct
There is part of me that would love to see the Christopher Nolan's Batman universe replaced on screen with a live-action Arkham Asylum or Arkham City motion picture. Not only are the games extremely well made with fantastic storytelling and game play, but the character designs are refreshing. Although Killer Croc and Mister Freeze may never be rendered into the 3D IMAX cinematic glory they deserve, DC Direct will give us two new deluxe action figures. Croc stands 9.5 inches tall while Mister Freeze goes 7.25 inches high and comes packaged with his freeze gun. These will go on sale June 6 with price tag of $45 a piece.
Play Arts Kai Arkham Asylum from Square Enix
One thing Arkham Asylum got wrong: the Harley Quinn boss battle. It just seemed a bit anticlimactic. I kept waiting for a proper showdown in Arkham City, but alas it didn’t come to pass. Perhaps in the next game we’ll get a decent fight with Joker’s main squeeze. If you are too impatient to wait for the third video game installment you can always reenact how the boss battle should have gone down with these two new action figures. Each features over 26 points of articulation, interchangeable hands, weapons and accessories. Armored Batman and Harley Quinn will run you around $60 when they arrive in July.
Battlestar Galactica, Six Million Dollar Man and Classic Doctor Who from Bif Bang Pow!
Saturday afternoons for me growing up revolved around sitting in front of my Zenith console TV while watching a long block of sci-fi reruns and syndicated cheese on my favorite independent station. We’re talking the original Star Trek, new episodes of T and T starring Mr. T, The Incredible Hulk, The Greatest American Hero and so on. That’s probably why I am drawn to Bif Bang Pow!’s upcoming 8-inch figure lines based on Battlestar Galactica, The Six Million Dollar Man, and classic Doctor Who. These figures are like comfort food for toy dweebs like me, reminding us of a time when Steve Austin’s slow motion running seemed hi-tech, Cylons were kind of scary and the only place to see the fourth doctor’s adventures was on late-night PBS. Apollo, the Cylon, Starbuck, the Android Sister, Steve Austin, Bigfoot, Oscar Goldman and the Fembot will release in July. The Doctor Who Tardis playset with K-9 will arrive in October. You can see more pics of the Bif Bang Pow! booth from this year’s Toy Fair here.
Masters of the Universe Classics from Mattel
Each Masters of the Universe figure had a unique feature that separated it from the others in the line. Whether it was Man-E-Faces' rotating portraits, Ram Man’s spring loaded legs or Trap Jaw’s swappable arms, each toy design was colorful, creative and unique. Matty Collector continues the trend with these two upcoming reboots. This time around, Thunder Punch He-Man comes packed with mini-comic #1 while sporting his classic design. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the same cap exploding feature of his original counterpart, but it does sport much better articulation. Stinkor, the evil master of odors, comes with interchangeable parts for his 200X armor and vintage armor while retaining his unmistakable smell. Fun fact: The original figure’s plastic was mixed with patchouli oil in the mold to create its unique scent. The smell is sealed in. That’s why after more than 25 years, you can still catch the whiff of it’s distinctive odor. Thunder Punch He-Man will be available in April while Stinkor goes up for sale in May.
And finally, Oklahoma City's Kyle Roberts does some pretty rad work. This week he released his latest stop-motion masterpiece featuring a re-imagined title sequence to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Enjoy!
