Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Arc

Release Date: September 2024

RRP: 4400 yen

The latest instalment in the Ultraman franchise is well underway (and available both subtitled and English dubbed on YouTube if you haven't checked it out already), and of course Bandai Tamashii Nations have kicked off a new range of S.H. Figuarts releases to cover the series. After briefly skipping over it with Ultraman Blazar, S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Arc returns to the "entry level" pricing Tamashii have adopted on many of their various franchise releases now - offering the main character of a specific series at a slightly lower price. Usually that also means that the figure itself has a little less to offer than your average release too, but does that hold true for Arc and his power of imagination?

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Father of Ultra

Release Date: August 2024

RRP: 8250 yen

The completion of the six main Ultra Brothers was a big milestone for the Ultraman S.H. Figuarts range, but there's still plenty of work for Bandai Tamashii Nations to do. What good are the Ultra Brothers without their leader, the top commander in the Inter Galactic Defence Force? To some he's known as Ultraman Ken, but these days he's better known as Father of Ultra. S.H. Figuarts Father of Ultra has been long overdue, and the fact he's also a retail release shows Bandai know the importance of this character to collectors as well. Despite Father of Ultra becoming a prominent figure in Ultraman franchise and making numerous reappearances over the years, this particular figure is based on his debut appearance in Ultraman Ace. 

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Dinobot Swoop

Release Date: July 2024

RRP: £54.99/£55.99

When the Transformers Studio Series 86 line began back in 2021 one of the first things it promised fans was new renditions of the Dinobots at Leader class scale – kicking things off with Grimlock as one of the very first figures in the range. Now three years and four fantastic Dinobots later, Hasbro are finally completing the team with the release of Studio Series 86 Dinobot Swoop. Though far more prominent in Transformers: The Movie than poor old Snarl, Swoop is a rather fitting choice for the final one to come to the line – with both he and Snarl being the second wave of Dinobots to be created in the series.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Collaborative 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Transformers' Party Wallop

Release Date: July 2024

RRP: $49.99/£49.99

Featuring everything from the likes of Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park to the Universal Monsters and Stranger Things, the Transformers Collaborative line has made quite the name for itself over the past few years. But amongst all the possibilities for where Hasbro could go next with the line, as much as it was probably on people's wish lists Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles probably didn't seem like the most likely candidate. However with both the Robots in Disguise and the Heroes in a Half Shell both currently celebrating their 40th anniversaries, the timing really couldn't be better for Transformers Collaborative 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Transformers' Party Wallop. This latest collaboration gives fans a Transformers take on the Turtles' iconic Party Wagon, with a few extra surprises thrown in as well.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Ultraman & Emi [Ultraman: Rising]

Release Date: July 2024

RRP: 7700 yen

The Ultraman franchise's global expansion plan took a big step forward this year with the release of Ultraman: Rising - the long awaited Netflix animated feature film. Having largely been received positively by newcomers and Ultraman fans alike, only time will tell if the film did well enough to receive a sequel. But in the meantime, Bandai are on hand to make sure there's plenty of merch to look forward to. On top of various action figures aimed at younger fans, older collectors are also covered with the release of S.H. Figuarts Ultraman & Emi [Ultraman: Rising], the first of a number of characters from the film to join the line. In addition to this Japanese release, a more affordable bare-bones edition was released in US stores shortly after the film's release a month earlier in June.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Saga

Release Date: June 2024

RRP: 11,000 yen

Tamashii Nations purgatory is a place well known to collectors of Bandai's various toy lines, where numerous figures are revealed at events only to never see the light of day. There have been countless examples over the years, but one of the oldest cases is that of Kamen Rider Saga. With Kamen Rider Kiva being one of the series that helped kickstart the S.H. Figuarts line, Saga's original prototype dates back to well over a decade ago. But while the wait has been a bit of a saga in itself, the Fangire ruler and half-brother of Wataru Kurenai has finally arrived in 2024. That original figure will never see the light of day, but its spirit lives on in S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Saga – a newly tooled Tamashii Web exclusive figure that continues Kiva's strong place in the "true bone carving" line.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Romance Dawn-

Release Date: August 2024

RRP: 4400 yen

One Piece's grand return to S.H. Figuarts was one of the line's biggest moments last year, but with the franchise celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024 Bandai Tamashii Nations had only just started cooking. As well as continuing their range of modern-era figures based on the Wano saga and beyond, Bandai are also going to back to very beginning to revisit the Straw Hat Pirates as they first appeared all those years ago. And kicking off this new "Romance Dawn" subline of figures is of course the captain himself – S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Romance Dawn-! Much like the previous Raid on Onigashima release, this Luffy comes with a slightly cheaper price tag to encourage fans to set sail with a brand new collection of figures.

First Impressions: Kamen Rider Gavv

Among the many faucets of Kamen Rider merchandising there's one that often goes under appreciated, despite being a consistent element since 2011 and being beloved by the fandom for its memorable advertising. But it seems 2024 is the year that the "Kamen Rider Gummi" finally gets its due, as gummy sweets, snacks and all kinds of confectionary take centre stage in the 39th entry in the franchise - Kamen Rider Gavv (pronounced "Kamen Rider Gavu"). The sixth series in the Reiwa era takes over from Kamen Rider Gotchard and joins Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger in the current Super Hero Time lineup, with Junko Komura (head writer for Super Sentai series Zyuohger, Lupinranger vs Patranger and Zenkaiger, as well as having previously written episodes for both Kamen Rider Wizard and Kamen Rider Ghost) on board as writer.

Toybox REVIEW: BUZZmod Yoko

Release Date: June 2024

RRP: 10,909 yen

Aniplex have been making quite a name for themselves in the world of articulated anime figures with their BUZZmod line, especially last year when they did what no other company has done for the last 15 years and made a poseable Kamina figure. But of course you can't just start making Gurren Lagann figures and then stop at one, so in 2024 they've followed it up with BUZZmod Yoko. Arguably the poster child for Gurren Lagann when it comes to character merchandise, Yoko was the obvious next step when it came to expanding the range – and hopefully it won't stop there.

Series REVIEW: Kamen Rider Gotchard

Given how merchandise-driven the Kamen Rider franchise (or rather any tokusatsu superhero for that matter) is nowadays it's surprising that it took 53 years for trading cards to be the main gimmick of a show, but at the same time finding a way to incorporate them in a way that still tells a good story is no easy feat. Such a task fell on writers Keiichi Hasagawa, Hiromi Uchida and Akiko Inoue for its 38th series and fifth to debut in the Reiwa era - Kamen Rider Gotchard. Joining Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger (and later Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger) as part of the 2023-2024 Super Hero Time, the series' main theme revolves around alchemy and it is the first to focus on high school life since Kamen Rider Fourze back in 2011. The catchphrase for the series is "Seize it! The greatest Gotcha!".