John Ary here with a quick look at a few action figure lines that are making headlines this week...
Halo 4 from McFarlane Toys
Not only will Halo fans soon be getting a new installment in the video game franchise, but they can also look forward to a new series of action figures from McFarlane Toys. It looks like Master Chief will return to action. Joining him in the first wave of figures are an Elite Zealot, Storm Grunt and a red Spartan Warrior. Also, McFarlane Toys will release a deluxe Master Chief with a UNSC Cryotube and a collectors box set. Look for all of these in August or you can pre-order them here.
The Expendables from Diamond Select Toys
The Expendables toyline is expanding. The first wave of Minimates based on the film one have just recently released to Toys R Us and specialty shops. Now we’re getting word that two new Minimate sets based on the second film will fight their way onto toy shelves this October. The Toys R Us exclusive set features a shirtless Barney Ross, Trench Mauser, Mr. Church and Booker (played by Chuck Norris). The specialty retail set stars Ying Yang, Gunner Jensen, Toll Road, and the new villain Jean Vilain (played by Jean-Claude Van Damme). In addition to the new Minimate sets, a wave of 7-inch scale figures will feature two different versions of Barney (one with and one without his beret), Gunner, and Hale Caesar. All of the figures will be wearing their mission gear and come with character-appropriate weapons and accessories. Look for them in November or you can pre-order them here.
Mirror Universe Kirk and Spock from Diamond Select Toys
Mego never made any Star Trek toys based on the classic episode “Mirror, Mirror.” EMCE Toys and Diamond Select Toys will soon remedy that problem with two new figures based on Kirk and Spock. Both characters feature real cloth costumes in the retro 1970s style, as well as episode-specific accessories and Spock has facial hair! They’ll beam down in December or you can pre-order them here.
Joker 2.0 from Hot Toys
Hot Toys has revealed the face of its upcoming Joker 2.0 1/6 scale figure on the company’s Facebook page. We’re still waiting for more details about this newest version of Heath Ledger’s character, but the company did write this in the caption: “Miss me? I’m now unveiling my real face to you finally… Thanks to the handcraft by chief sculptor & painter Yulli & JC. Hong, my head sculpt looks even more alike to The Joker character! Please stay tuned for more about me soon!”
Utapau Airborne Trooper from Sideshow Collectibles
Two important events happened on Utapau: General Grievous died and Commander Cody received Order 66 to kill General Kenobi. Thanks to his battalion's ineptitude, Obi-Wan escaped. Way to go guys! Now their colossal failures have been immortalized in a new deluxe 1/6 scale action figure. Both the Exclusive Utapau Airborne Trooper with a special 2nd Airborne Company Base featuring the ‘Parjai Squad’ Emblem and the regular edition will cost you $134.99 with an arrival date sometime in November. You can pre-order yours here.
And finally this week, I think every kid would love to get their hands on an Alfred Pennyworth movie action figure. Who doesn't want to play with an almost 80-year old Michael Caine dressed in a black suit? Pixel Dan has the review:
That's it this week. For more action figure news, you can follow my toy blog ArticulationTimes.com on Twitter and Facebook.
