2015 has brought us a very special Valentine...or a few....
New figures! New toys! New statues! A new hunt is underway!
This past weekend, New York once again hosted its annual industry-based TOYFAIR for all us fans and collectors to reestablish our hunt for 2015. Almost every major toy company was in attendance, some showcasing never before seen items, others showing updated items or prototypes, and others . . . not showing anything new (cough Hasbro Black Series cough). Go Figure attempted to capture highlights on a Facebook Photo Album.
This week’s column will be split into two, the first I will cover NECA, Funko, and Mezco, and the second to cover Kotobukiya, DC Collectibles, and Play Arts Kai.
Funko came into the show with a slew of new licenses for their ReAction line, including some of my favorites: Terminator 2, Breaking Bad and The Fifth Element. Among others included DC, The Karate Kid, Star Trek, Big Trouble in Little China, and Jaws.
Overall, I have been a fan of the ReAction line, but I don’t believe Funko is making the right move reaching out to so many licenses. The Predator and Terminator line was and continues to be fantastic! ReAction brings the very vintage and retro feel to collectors, with the old school style of figures, while having the added benefit of far greater and unique art work per license or character (i.e. Predator figures resemble each character; masked figure = masked photo, open mouth figure = open mouth card, etc)
Funko showcased their new Fifth Element, Terminator 2, and Breaking Bad figures this past weekend. The Fifth Element line, as much as I am loving the take (and my love for the movie has a huge bias for it) yet I really am skeptical and unmotivated to hunt for these figures. Notable characters from the film include: Corbin Dallas, Leeloo (white bandage and multipass versions), Zorg, Ruby Rhod, Diva Plavalaguna and more. The styles capture those from the film, but unless the cardbacks really standout, I don’t see myself collecting these.
Funko also brings Breaking Bad to their ReAction line. Again, skeptical as I love Breaking Bad, yet the figures just don’t have that “pop” to me.
Speaking of Breaking Bad, Mezco also showcased some previously announced figures which have, as I am sure we all know, ended up getting hit by a crazed mother claiming these figures would turn her kids into druggies and criminals.
Mezco’s new figures include Saul Goodman, and Gus Fring in both his normal suit-dress and his so-to-speak “battle-damaged” version after getting blown away in the nursing home.
The last company I will highlight in this post will be NECA. NECA has my evermost excitement and interest with their upcoming figures from Predator, Terminator, and Pacific Rim. Their highly anticipated Alien vs. Predator Predators have finally been revealed; and although they have mixed criticism due to their body size and proportions, I think they are phenomenal and I'm excited to hunt them down.
Then there is the Dark Horse 25th Anniversary Predator; a close-to-exact repaint of the Predator on the cover of Dark Horse Predator #1! This includes an awesome package and additional mini-reprint of Predator #1!
The most surprising announcement, was that NECA will be releasing John Matrix from Commando! Another phenomenal take from one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s films, he stood side-by-side with the newly announced Ultimate Terminator, an updated version of the previous Cyberdyne Showdown T-800 from Terminator 2.
And lastly, NECA has updated figures of their soon-to-be-released Pacific Rim figures, including Jaeger Horizon Brave, Kaiju Otachi and the newly announced 6” Baby Otachi! The SDCC exclusive has also been announced, which will be the in-movie figures seen from Pacific Rim children playing with these toys! A very early announcement but guaranteed to be a huge hit at SDCC, one I will be hunting the first day I attend!
The hunt shall continue in post two, so stay tuned....
Alex is currently in college looking to pursure a Law Degree. He has been a geek and collector for years, and his hobby has grown tremendously. Follow him on Twitter (@Jahilianaire).
* All photos courtesy of Figures.com