By
Phantom Troublemaker
I wasn’t at San Diego Comic Con this past weekend, but as
a toy-obsessed lunatic I had to follow all of the news from here. This Friday
will see the release of the Needless Things Podcast’s annual SDCC wrap-up with
Ryan, Jay, and Josh, but it’s always helpful to me to go ahead and put a post together
about my favorite stuff from the show.
This won’t include products that have already been shown
or announced prior to SDCC 2017 unless significant changes have been made to
said products or there’s something new of which to make note.
I’ve included pictures where I can, but mostly just
official releases when the companies have put them out (which they have gotten
much better about since I started doing these). I don’t like lifting images
from other websites and after eight years of doing this I’ve learned that there
is very little cooperation between sites. That being said, Toy Ark has massive galleries
of the toys and our pal Action Figure
Attack on IG and Facebook for the best pictures from the show.
Mezco
Once again Mezco stole some of the early buzz by
revealing several new One:12 Collective action figures. Via email, no less.
One:12
Collective
Catwoman – Definitely a solid
choice as the next entry from the world of Batman-related characters. It’s
always smart to throw a tweener in after you’ve done a hero and a villain. I’m
not crazy about how the cowl is sculpted around her face, but the removable
goggles and multiple heads are great.
Batman Beyond – Despite
the fact that Batman Beyond was never
really my thing, this figure is very tempting. It’s more interesting to look at
than the standard Terry design and all of the gimmicks look like they work
quite nicely.
Thor from Thor:
Ragnarok – This was a big surprise. Mezco has already
teased a Netflix Daredevil and Spider-Man from Homecoming, but I didn’t really think about them expanding even
further into the MCU. Thanks to the electric production design on the movie looks
like one of the coolest One:12 figures we’ve seen so far. I love this Thor
design and it’s going to be hard to skip this one.
Hulk from Thor:
Ragnarok – This was an even bigger surprise. Har har.
I don’t love Darkseid enough to throw down over a hundred bucks for that
figure, but this gladiator Hulk is going to be just as tempting as Thor.
Generally I would say I’d rather have a standard Hulk, but let’s face it – Hulk
in crazy armor is way cooler than
Hulk in purple pants.
Besides, the way Mezco does business there’s no chance we
won’t see this buck used for multiple Hulks, hopefully a regular MCU version
and a comic version. Of course, the best
part is that even if they don’t, the design aesthetics of the line allow for
all styles to be displayed together. My Dawn
of Justice Batman looks just fine next to the comics-inspired Flash and
Shazam.
Spider-Man from Spider-Man: Homecoming – It’s not quite there yet,
but it’s very good. I’m interested to see if Mezco can figure out how to do the
wings. They can’t very well do a worse job than Hasbro did.
Aquaman from Justice League – Take this how you will, but I’d
actually prefer a shirtless Arthur. As much as I love the armor that they’ve
created for this movie, it seems like an awful lot for a swimming guy.
Regardless, the figure looks fantastic at this stage. I
don’t know that I’ll be collecting the DC movie figures, but it is a little
more likely that I’ll buy these than the Marvel ones given the much wider
quality gap between Mattel and Mezco versus Mezco and Hasbro. I still mostly
like Legends, but some of the Multiverse movie figures have been atrocious.
Batman Ascending – I
feel like this is a new color design for Mezco’s extremely weird Batman. Wasn’t
it originally black and grey? The design has grown on me, but with two Batmans
on my shelf that I like a lot more I can’t justify buying this one. Especially
not if this is the final look and not a variant.
Weird Joker – I didn’t like this
one at first, but it’s grown on me. I don’t like the orange vest at all because
it makes it look like a Mattel designer’s bad idea for a variant in a kids’ toy
line. But the rest of the design is quite good and I like the head sculpt a
lot. I certainly don’t need another Joker, but if the vest was green on this
one I’d be a lot more likely to consider it.
Michael Myers –
If this figure had been previously announced I have forgotten all about it. The
color of the coveralls bothers me, as it seems a bit light, but otherwise I
think this figure looks fantastic. I love all of the extra hands. That being
said, I’m not planning to delve into One:12 horror releases. I have plenty of Michael
Myers figures that range from good to great. I don’t even think I’ll be buying
Mezco’s Ash unless that likeness gets a whole lot better. The Ghostbusters, on
the other hand, look better every time Mezco shows them. They just need to add
the hoses to their coveralls. That’s too big a detail to overlook.
Super
7
I would probably have to call Super 7 the hot rising
superstar of the toy industry. They are producing a ton of must-have Con
Exclusives (which usually aren’t too hard to get) and they had some killer new
stuff on display.
ReAction
Figures
Halloween - Frist up is a new
line of Halloween figures – the holiday, not the movie. It looks like the first
wave is scheduled to hit this fall and will include Alfred Hitchcock, the
Crimson Ghost (or Misfits Fiend), Nosferatu, and King Diamond(!). My guess is
that Super 7 will do the same thing they did with The Worst and offer waves of
color variations, so if you like the colors they offer initially – likely to be
“default” colors – you should jump on them before they get retired for the next
wave of variants. This is all speculation, but I feel good about saying it.
Iron Maiden – These were
announced, but this is the first I’ve seen of the sculpts. I think they look
great and in an odd way I actually prefer Eddie in this style to some of the
more intricate figures that have been released over the years. These are
definitely on my watch list. “Aces High”, “Powerslave” , “The Trooper”, and
“Killers” versions were on display and looked great.
Robotech – I knew
M.U.S.C.L.E. toys were coming as a result of Super 7’s Robotech license, but I
didn’t realize ReAction figures were part of the deal. While I’d love to see
affordable, transforming versions of these toys, the mechs look really good as
ReAction figures. I doubt I’ll buy them, but they’re a better idea than I would
have thought prior to seeing them.
M.U.S.C.L.E.
There were two very interesting figures tucked away in a
corner of one of Super 7’s display cabinets – one that looked like Ultimate
Warrior minus his boot tassels and another that could have been either Mean
Gene or Howard Finkel.
Further investigation revealed an entire shelf of
prototype WWF M.U.S.C.L.E. figures, which promptly caused me to lose my shit.
On display were the aforementioned figures alongside Roddy Piper, Randy Savage,
Iron Sheik, Junkyard Dog (who needs a little work in the face department),
Andre the Giant, Jake the Snake, Jim Duggan, Ted DiBiase, and a robed dude that
is either Ric Flair or Paul Orndorff. I’m hoping for Orndorff simply because to
me he better represents the era of WWF that they’re going for.
Masters
of the Universe
If you listened to the latest
episode of the Needless Things Podcast, then you know that we bemoaned
the lack of a Masters of the Universe Classics Karg figure. Well, we can bemoan
no longer! Or soon we can stop bemoaning, because right there smack dab in the
middle of Super 7’s newest Classics figures was a beautiful Karg!
Everyone’s new favorite toy company also showed off
Filmation versions of Tung Lashor (who looks extremely weird but kind of great)
and Sorceress, alongside Dylamug and the Horde Mummy.
I have to say – I kind of wish that I had started
collecting the Filmation figures, because Super 7’s look incredible. Of course,
I also wish they were $20 or less and didn’t have to be shipped.
NECA
While Mezco is still somewhat new as far as dazzling me
at Toy Fair and SDCC go, NECA has been doing it for years. This year is no
different, starting with a line that I am delighted to see.
Guillermo
del Toro Signature Series
Kicking off with figures from Pan’s Labyrinth and The
Devil’s Backbone(!), this line focuses on the films of one of the most
visionary directors working today.
Alien
and Predator
Six new video game-based figures were revealed – three
Predators and three Aliens, all from the 1994 Capcom arcade game. The game
itself was very similar to other Capcom beat-em-ups like the renowned X-Men
cabinet game, so there’s a big fandom for this one.
The Alien designs are
phenomenal. They’re all different enough from standard movie xenomorphs to be
worthwhile and the colors land somewhere between movie figures and Kenner
figures.
The Predators don’t appeal to me as much. The skin and
armor colors are a little too vibrant to fit on my Predator shelf, though
they’d go very well with the RoboCop vs. Terminator video game figures.
NECA also revealed a Colonel Cameron figure, which is
James Cameron in Colonial Marine gear. I like it and am always happy to see
tributes to creators like this. Maybe someday NECA will deliver the Werner
Herzog figure I’ve always dreamed about.
Horror
Everything about NECA’s upcoming Ultimate Chucky is
incredible – four different heads, a plethora of weapons, and that Good Guys
doll box. But I do kind of wish that there was one more item in there – a scale
Chucky to go with my other horror figures. I’m not opposed to having a giant
Chucky, but I really would like one that is in a true 7” scale. They did it for
that stupid Saw dummy, so I don’t see why they can’t do it for lil’ ol’ Charles
Lee Ray.
There’s an insane asylum Ash from season 2 of Ash vs. Evil Dead that looks tremendous,
but dammit, how many Ash figures do I need? Here's the thing, though - NECA has nailed the Bruce Campbell face sculpt, a feat that only one other company has accomplished (Dark Horse with their My Name is Bruce figure). And I love the crazy hair and the expression on this one.
Yes, I'll probably buy it.
Speaking of “How many of this guy do I need?”, there’s an
Ultimate Freddy’s Revenge figure
coming out and it comes with three excellent heads, Freddy’s hand with the
claws coming directly out of it (as opposed to the glove), and those horrifying
dogs with people heads. I guess I need one more Freddy.
I love the Camp Crystal Lake diorama that was on display,
but I’m not looking forward to finding out how much it will cost. NECA’s past
dioramas have been a little on the pricey side.
Sci-Fi
NECA finally gave us a look at the Valerian and Laureline
figures from Luc Besson’s new movie (which I’m seeing tonight). I can’t wait to
get them, though I hope I still feel that way after seeing the movie. I think
the big robot looks cool, but with all of the spectacular aliens populating the
trailers I wonder if it was really the best choice for the third figure. I
guess I’ll find out.
There were a couple of RoboCop figures from the RoboCop vs. Terminator comic book, but
I’ll be honest – they didn’t do much for me. The Terminator dog looks great,
though.
TMNT
One of my favorite reveals this year was NECA’s quarter
scale baby Ninja Turtles. The flashback scene from the 1990 movie is one of the
cutest scenes of all time, so having those little guys as toys is exciting!
NECA also previewed a quarter scale figure of Raphael in
disguise. My question here is if it’s the same as the regular Raph under the
coat and hat, because if so I’ll hold off on buying the standard Raph. I’d much
rather have this one if it’s a complete figure.
Not of interest to me, but definitely of interest to
those that were able to buy NECA’s video game Turtles, there was a display
featuring a video game Krang with General Traag, one of his rock soldiers, and
Slash. I do think it’s cool that they’re making this stuff, but the strict
guidelines that they have to deal with to sell it makes it too much of a gamble
for me. I’m not starting a collection without even knowing if I’ll be able to
buy everything.
There were a couple of awesome prop replicas from the
1990 movie – the fabled mutagen canister and Casey Jones’ very unique hockey
mask. I have a few of NECA’s older prop replicas from horror franchises and
they make good stuff.
Finally, NECA left out a sign announcing quarter scale
versions of Shredder and the FOOT clan for 2018. It specifically said “FOOT
Clan” and not “FOOT Soldier”, so I’m hoping we get a FOOT Soldier and Tatsu. And maybe Sam Rockwell’s
character, Head Thug.
God
of War
The figure of Kratos from the upcoming game looks
awesome. I’m in.
Hasbro
Hasbro got off to a strong start with a decent showing of
Star Wars toys and some new Marvel Legends. I can’t see a day when they won’t
be getting a good chunk of my toy fund, even if I do give them more than their
share of grief for some of the corners they cut (like the new Spidey from Homecoming with its shitty wings and red
elbow pegs).
Marvel
Legends
There was a Venompool. The less said about that figure,
the better.
Taking a page from their Star Wars playbook, Hasbro is
re-releasing old Marvel Legends on cardbacks designed to look like the old Toy
Biz Marvel Superheroes line. While this certainly tugs at my nostalgia strings
(or whatever) because that line got me back into superhero toys, I’m not
biting. Spider-Man, Captain America, and Punisher look to make up the first
wave.
A new Deadpool wave of figures was shown that was hits
and misses. 90s Deadpool and Domino are both pretty lackluster, but the gigantic
90s Cable is awesome. I need a new Deatlok because the Toy Biz one is terrible. Same goes for X-23, except Hasbro screwed that one up. This looks like a fine apology.
Because Spider-Man continues to be money for Marvel,
Disney, and Hasbro, we’re getting a new Spider wave of Marvel Legends. It
includes Gwenpool – a must-have, Spider-Punk – who I hate and assume comes from
Spider-Verse, and a female character with a pink wing/fire/something effect
that I can’t identify. I assume there will be three more figures in the
assortment, along with a build-a-figure I’ll have to have. That’s a given since
Gwenpool is the only one so far that I even remotely want. Mysterio is one of my favorite villains, but I already have the Spider-Man Legends version that came out years ago and I think I actually like it more than this one.
Hasbro is launching a new sub-line of Marvel Legends that
have vehicles and riders, something fans have been requesting for a long time.
Black Widow and Ghost Rider were both shown with their respective motorcycles
and I like them both quite a bit, though as Head of Research Ryan pointed out,
the original Toy Biz Ghost Rider bike still looks better.
Star
Wars
Hasbro has been oddly (and stupidly) secretive about its
Star Wars lines ever since The Force
Awakens. They don’t seem to like showing us what’s coming at any point
during the release year. As such, I was genuinely shocked to see Rey and Luke
Skywalker from The Last Jedi on
display.
Jaina Solo in her pilot uniform was less of a surprise,
as we already know she won the fan poll. As to why and how she won, I do not
know. I’d bet I’m in the top 10% of Jaina Solo fans, but I simply don’t see a
need for her in the 6” Black Series.
Also on display were 6” versions of Maz Kanata, General
Leia, a Rebel Fleet Trooper, and Clone Trooper that I at first thought was Rex
but now don’t think so. They all look fine.
I don’t generally care about Hasbro’s standard 3.75” 5
POA line (outside of the figures my son wants), but I am very excited for the
new beast 2-packs they showed. I’ll take a Wampa, a Rathtar, and an Imperial
Probe Droid, thank you.
The Star Wars line I do care about is the 3.75” super
articulated line, which Hasbro is bringing back next year. Unfortunately, they
have already shit the bed in the worst possible way. The only new figure is the
Fan’s Poll winner, Doctor Aphra. Everything else is repacks of the Walmart
Exclusive Black Series that are currently on clearance at a store near you.
Whoever is responsible for this should be shitcanned, pronto. I can’t remember
the last time I was so disappointed by a toy line.
Forces
of Destiny
I think these look great. From talking to female toy
collectors over the past years and hearing what they like and don’t like about
modern toy lines, I think that Hasbro has nailed the perfect combination of
action figure and doll. There are great-looking sculpted costumes with soft
goods used in a clever way. And rooted hair is something that has been called
for on these kinds of figures for quite some time.
Oh, and I know I said I wouldn’t comment on stuff we’ve
already seen, but I thought these warranted mention.
Mattel
Justice
League
Mattel showed some different lines of figures from the
upcoming movie – the twenty dollar Multiverse figures and the cheaper
kid-oriented figures. For the money, the kids are getting a far better value.
The Multiverse figures simply don’t match up to the rest
of the $20ish action figures available on the market now. The sculpts are soft,
some of the points of articulation are hideous, and the quality seems to vary
greatly from figure to figure. Mattel is doing a very poor job with these
figures. The Movie Masters from several years ago were far superior.
The cheaper figures, on the other hand, are far more
consistent and in an odd way represent the brand better.
Mattel also displayed a toy version of Batman’s crawler
vehicle from the trailer. It looks like a piece of garbage, but that’s what toy
vehicles tend to look like nowadays. In the context of modern vehicles I’m
actually excited about it. Despite its cheapness, the 6” scale Batcave that
came out last Christmas is actually a lot of fun and well worth the money. If
this can capture that same kind of fun on a budget, then good job, Mattel.
There were also a few figures that clearly appeared to
have sound chip gimmicks. They had a bunch if holes in their chests and their
belt buckles were clearly buttons. They were positioned around the Bat Crawler,
so I wonder if they’re meant to interact with it. That would be pretty cool.
I’ll be curious to see the price points and features on these.
Playmates
Toys
I don’t always cover Playmates, but when they show
something as unexpected – and oddly amazing – as the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles as the 1984 Ghostbusters, I have to mention it.
Those likenesses are insane. I don’t quite understand how
they’ve managed to make these Turtles so clearly resemble Harold Ramis, Bill
Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, but they did. Not just the hairstyles
and gimmicks, but the actual faces look right.
DC
Collectibles
DC Collectibles went big on preview night, as well, in
that they showed one of my favorite items early on – a Batman Black & White
statue designed by Becky Cloonan:
I first became a fan of Cloonan’s artwork when she worked
on one of the Bat books, so I’m excited to add this to my small collection of B&W
statues. They’re not something I buy often, but when one of my favorite artists
contributes a design I’ll buy.
Also worth noting are a line of figures based on the
unique art of Christopher Uminga (we have several prints of his in the nicer
areas of the Phantom Zone):
And a Harley Quinn statue designed by Babs Tarr:
It looks great, but I am slightly disappointed by the
differences between Tarr’s original design and the final product.
It’s still a
must-have, though.
I also really liked these statues by Sho Murase:
I’m not familiar with the artist, but the designs are
pretty fancy-pants.
Looks like we might have to add a statuary wing to
Stately Phantom Manor.
Visit SupportPhantom.com now!
DC
Animated
DC also revealed one of the weirdest and craziest items at
SDCC – a Jokermobile for their Animated line. I do not personally recall there
actually being a Jokermobile on any
of the DCAU shows, but I’ll have to assume it’s slipped my mind.
At first I thought it was ridiculous and a poor decision,
but the more I look at that thing, the more I feel like I probably need it. It
absolutely is ridiculous, and therein
lies its greatest appeal. Like many odd and outlandish things, my feelings
about it have gone from disdain to obsession. I MUST HAVE IT.
Also on display were “Ultimate” versions of Joker and
Harley. I’ve had sort of a revelation about these since the Batman with the
multiple portraits and capes was released – if I love NECA’s Ultimate figures,
I can’t very well criticize these. Technically they have a lot more product
than the NECA versions. The only “negative” is that the regular versions were
released so recently. I still wish the Batman had at least included a fabric
cape, though.
Looking at them, both Joker and Harley appear to be
better releases than Batman, as they include the huge variety of portraits and
an even larger number of accessories. The Joker-branded grenades alone are
worth the upgrade.
DC
Essentials
It looks like DC Icons is, for some reason, becoming DC
Essentials. The articulation looks slightly different, with some joints that
are definitely inspired by Japanese action figure lines. The figures all share
an aesthetic, but it doesn’t appear to be Ivan Reis’ work anymore.
Those were all of the big ones for me. Tune in to this
week’s Needless Things Podcast for a roundtable discussion of SDCC, and please
help spread the word about Needless Things and the Needless Things Podcast.
Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in
on the conversation! Let us know what you think!
You can follow Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the
latest on pop culture!
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