Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Omega

Release Date: August 2025

RRP: 6600 yen

These days Bandai Tamashii Nations have gotten very good at announcing the titular characters from the latest Ultraman and Kamen Rider series as soon as the show begins to air, even if fans do still have to wait a few months for their actual release. Thankfully though we haven’t had to wait too long for S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Omega, who kicks off a new range of figures from the 2025 Ultraman series. Ultraman Omega comes as a general retail release figure, and although Bandai tends to offer “introductory” (i.e. lower) prices on these titular characters Omega’s 6600 yen price tag is rather middling compared to other recent Ultra releases – cheaper than Ultraman Blazar’s 7150 yen but a considerable step up from Ultraman Arc’s 4400 yen last year.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Vram Pudding Custom

Release Date: August 2025

RRP: 8800 yen

While we certainly don't get as many alternate forms from a Kamen Rider series as we used to in the S.H. Figuarts line (and even less as retail releases), Bandai Tamashii Nations still do a good job at least at making sure all the Riders featured in the most recent shows are represented. Kamen Rider Gavv may have reached its conclusion onscreen but there's still plenty to look forward to in regards to figures, with S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Vram Pudding Custom releasing hot on the heels of Kamen Rider Valen. Both the third release and third character to appear in the Gavv range, like Valen before him Vram is also a Tamashii web exclusive release.

Movie REVIEW: Ultraman Arc the Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil

As the Ultraman franchise continues to grow in global recognition, it's 2024 entry Ultraman Arc is perhaps the most accessible it has ever been to an international audience - not only was it simulcast on YouTube alongside its initial airing on Japanese television, but it also had a variety of dubs available immediately on release as well. This isn't the only thing that makes Arc unique amongst its contemporaries either, with its subsequent movie outing also bucking the trend when it comes to what fans have come to expect from such things. Rather than act as an epilogue to the series, Ultraman Arc the Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil instead mixes things up by taking place during the main story (specifically episodes 21 and 22). However despite that, the film was not released in Japan until a month after its conclusion - making it best viewed with the whole series in mind.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver. (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition)

Release Date: September 2025

RRP: 9900 yen

While any veteran S.H. Figuarts collector will tell you that preordering can often be a bit of a nightmare, for the most part most figures aren't too difficult to track down (or expensive) on the aftermarket following their release. There are some exceptions though, with one of the best examples in recent memory being S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver.. Originally a Tamashii Nation 2018 event exclusive, this costume variant of the original Kamen Rider quickly became a highly sought after item - with a price tag to match. Last year it even won a poll of which Shinkocchou Seihou figure should be reissued the most, despite event exclusives rarely ever getting second runs. However Bandai Tamashii Nations could clearly see there was money to be made, and eventually revealed (the lengthily titled) S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver. (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition) - a brand new edition of the figure with some slight upgrades. Of course there was no way they were going to make this version easily obtainable either, with it originally released as a Tamashii Nations Live Action Figure Expo and Club Tamashii lottery exclusive item. A second run of the figure will also be made available early next year, again as a Club Tamashii lottery item.

First Impressions: Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider

While the (nearly) worldwide streaming of Kamen Rider Zeztz on YouTube may be the most notable way the Kamen Rider franchise is making waves across the globe this year, it isn't the only way newcomers may be enticed into giving it a try. Among Crunchyroll's simulcast shows for the Winter 2025 season is Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider, based on the ongoing manga series of the same name by Yokusaru Shibata. Produced by Linden Films (whose work includes Cells at Work! CODE BLACK, among others) in collaboration with Toei, it poses the question surely every Rider fan has considered at least once in their lives - what if I could become Kamen Rider?

Toybox REVIEW: Trasformers Studio Series Hook & Long Haul

Release Date: June 2025

RRP: $89.99/£91.99

Even though Hasbro are slowly running out of key Transformers: The Movie characters to bring to the Studio Series line, leaving the Constructicons towards the end was a very good way of keeping fans interested. Particularly when they're not wasting any time in getting the whole team out, which means collectors won't have to wait long to form Devastator on their shelves. While most of the Constructicons are getting standard single releases, the Studio Series Hook & Long Haul set mixes things up a bit - featuring two members of the team in a single Commander Class set alongside some of the extra parts needed to make up the original Decepticon combiner.

Anime REVIEW: New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

In 2010 Gainax released Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, a series that could be argued was the swansong of the once great studio. Parodying "adult" American cartoons with its own brand of crass humour, Panty & Stocking not only won the hearts of its fans - it also left them with the most painful (yet hilarious) cliffhanger ending possible. In the years that have passed since, Gainax is no more and the show's creators went on to create the powerhouse that is studio Trigger. The future of Panty & Stocking seemed bleak, until it was revealed it would finally be returning just in time for its 15th anniversaries. With the series rights now safely in the hands of Trigger, New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt brings a whole new series of adventures starring the titular foul-mouthed angels. Was it worth the wait?

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Wingman

Release Date: August 2025 

RRP: 12,100 yen 

One of the surprise tokusatsu hits of 2024 was the live-action adaptation of Wingman, based on the 1983 manga by Masakazu Katsura. Like the manga itself the 12-episode series was a love letter to all things superhero and tokusatsu, with plenty of references and homages to classic series. Main character Kenta Hirono was even played by Maito Fujioka, son of original Kamen Rider Hiroshi Fujioka. Despite seemingly like the kind of show that could easily come and go without any merchandise, Bandai Tamashii Nations pulled out the biggest surprise of all by announcing a S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Wingman figure! A very rare example of the line moving outside of long-standing franchises (with the exception of perhaps Gridman, and even that’s grown into a franchise in recent years), Wingman was released as a Tamashii web exclusive.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who History of the Daleks #21 Set

Release Date: August 2025

RRP: £21.99

Despite seemingly having all odds against it, the B&M exclusive Doctor Who figure range has now continued on for several years. A big part of that range has been the "History of the Daleks" sets, and with Character Options now having run out of classic stories to cover things are starting to get a little more interesting. The modern iteration of Doctor Who may have less variants in terms of design and colour, but that doesn't mean it isn't without its surprises. Arriving in stores unannounced and to everyone's surprise was History of the Daleks #21, featuring two Executioner Daleks (or Death Squad Daleks if you'd prefer) from 2022's Eve of the Daleks. Not only is this the first time the Thirteenth Doctor era has been covered in History of the Daleks, but it's also the most recent story the range has represented.

First Impressions: Kamen Rider Zeztz

With Tsuburaya Productions having simulcast Ultraman on YouTube for several years now, Toei have been sorely lagging behind with their tokusatsu offerings. The US is being well-served by various releases of older series on blu-ray as well as a handful of shows on streaming, but when it comes to the newest shows fans have still had to resort to more clandestine means. Until 2025 that is, as Toei finally bring the latest Kamen Rider series to a (somewhat) worldwide audience with Kamen Rider Zeztz! The seventh series to debut in the Reiwa era will have its episodes released on the TokuSHOUTsu YouTube channel with English subs, live-streaming on a continuous loop for the following five days. Franchise veteran Yuya Takahashi (Ex-Aid, Zero-One, Geats) returns once more to write the series, with Kazuya Kamihoriuchi directing this first episode - "Case 1: Start".