Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider Gotchard the Movie: The Future Daybreak

Summer movies have been a staple of the Kamen Rider franchise for decades, but rarely do their stories feel quite as signposted as it did in Kamen Rider Gotchard. The appearance of a mysterious orange Gotchard from the future way back in episode 16 raised all manner of questions - many of which would not be answered until months later with the release of Kamen Rider Gotchard the Movie: The Future Daybreak. Largely taking place in an alternate timeline, the film explores future events branching off from the Alchemist Academy's first encounter with Glion. The film was written by Gotchard co-writer Keichii Hasagawa, directed by Ryuta Tasaki and released cinematically as part of a double-bill alongside Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Majade SunUnicorn

Release Date: September 2024

RRP: 8250 yen

The Reiwa era of Kamen Rider has been doing great things to improve the prominence of women Riders in the shows, but it was only last year with Kamen Rider Gotchard that one officially attained the (often much debated) position of "secondary Rider". Said Rider is of course Rinne Kudo aka Kamen Rider Majade, who first debuted as a Rider in the Gotchard/Geats crossover movie before becoming a regular in the show shortly afterwards. But despite being the secondary Rider, S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Majade SunUnicorn on the other hand is the fourth release in the line's Gotchard range, as well as its third Tamashii web exclusive.

Special REVIEW: Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger IN SPACE

Between both Donbrothers and Kyoryuger it's fair to say that Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger has proven itself to be quite flexible when it comes to crossovers. The 47th Super Sentai series was also quite large when it came to scope too, given both its time skip and the intergalactic elements it incorporated into the story following that. As such the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club's latest special is the perfect match, bringing all these elements together in the rather aptly named Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger IN SPACE. This short one-off special reunites characters from King-Ohger and Kyoryuger for a third time, as well as bringing in familiar faces from Ohranger, Gingaman, Dekaranger and Kyuranger. 

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Nami -Romance Dawn-

Release Date: September 2024

RRP: 7150 yen

While the return of One Piece S.H. Figuarts seems to be something Bandai Tamashii Nations are taking quite seriously, it is somewhat surprising that despite all these releases that the main cast of characters doesn’t seem to be a priority. The franchise's 25th anniversary might have been just what was needed to change that though, as in addition to figures from the current era Tamashii Nations are also going back in time to it’s very beginning! S.H. Figuarts Nami -Romance Dawn- is the second character to be released from this sub-set of figures, as well as the second Nami figure in the S.H. Figuarts line – the original dating all the way back to 2010!

Top 5: Tamashii Nation 2024 Reveals

Another annual Tamashii Nation event has passed and in some ways this was Bandai's biggest one in a while, with lots of brand new IPs joining their various figure lines as well as plenty of new reveals from the usual suspects. Who ever thought we'd be seeing Lord of the Rings S.H. Figuarts or a Chogokin model of the time-travelling train from the end of Back to the Future Part 3? I could spend hours going through all of the announcements from the event (and definitely recommend checking out Tamashii Nations' social media accounts to get a look at everything), but as usual here are my top five favourite reveals from the event.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Exo-Suit Spike Witwicky

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: $11.99/£13.99

While there are plenty of (living, dead and background) characters in Transformers: The Movie to keep the Studio Series 86 line occupied for quite a while, it's nice to know that it didn't take long for Hasbro to turn their attention toward the few non-robotic cast members as well. Studio Series 86 Exo-Suit Spike Witwicky joins the line's core class offerings of smaller figures, representing the now adult Spike in the transforming armour he wore in the movie and subsequent episodes of the Generation One cartoon. In the movie, Spike assists Bumblebee with the Autobot defences on Moonbase Two - stationed there until it was devoured by the chaos bringer Unicron.

Series REVIEW: Ultraman Ace

With Return of Ultraman proving to be a success, in late 1971 Tsuburaya Productions and TBS began work on a follow-up Ultraman series. When coming up with an initial concept for the series, three screenwriters were tapped to offer their own individual proposals. Shinichi Ichikawa's "Ultra Hunter" would see a man and woman join together to become an Ultraman born beyond gender boundaries, fighting against the invasion of the Andromeda Space Corps. Shozo Uehera's "Ultra Fighter" saw a defence team member inherit the powers of an Ultraman from Nebula M78 battling against monsters created by a mad scientist. Finally Shigemitsu Taguchi's "Ultra V" featured monsters manufactured by an alien force targeting the Earth. Rather that pick just one proposal, all three were amalgamated into what would become the fifth entry in the Ultra Series - Ultraman Ace. Premiering on April 7th 1972, Ultraman Ace ran for a total of 52 episodes and reflected the next evolution in the Ultraman franchise.

Toybox REVIEW: G.I. Joe Classified Series Cobra Commander (Retro)

Release Date: September 2024

RRP: $24.99/£24.99

As the G.I. Joe Classified Series continues to go from strength to strength, much like many of Hasbro's other collector lines it looks to the past as well as the future with a range of retro-carded figures meant to evoke nostalgia in longtime collectors. In some cases it's simply the packaging that reflects those vintage releases, but in the Joes' case the figures themselves are also based on how these characters originally appeared. The line has been releasing these at a steady rate for a few years now but it just goes to show how extensive G.I. Joe's cast is that there are still plenty of key characters yet to come. However for now, fans have been treated to the particularly special release of the G.I. Joe Classified Series Cobra Commander (Retro) - bringing back Cobra's iconic leader in his classic and arguably most familiar form.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who Ruby Sunday (Vortex Edition)

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: £39.99 (2-pack with the Fifteenth Doctor) 

Even if the latest era of Doctor Who doesn't prove enough to get the toy line out of the rut of store/online exclusives it's been in for years now, at the very least Character Options have definitely made an effort to make the two lead characters stand out. Actually getting them released (and in the same year as the series aired no less) is one thing, but to bring with them improved articulation, sculpting and paintwork is a much-needed shot in the arm for the line. Joining the Fifteenth Doctor on his travels through time and space is Ruby Sunday (portrayed onscreen by Millie Gibson), who will also be made available in two versions. Firstly this special "Vortex Edition" figure exclusive to the Character Options website, and then a retail edition (with a different costume and packaging) slightly later.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who The Fifteenth Doctor (Vortex Edition)

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: £39.99 (2-pack with Ruby Sunday)

Even though there has been a steady string of exclusive releases at either B&M stores or the Character Options website for some time now, the Doctor Who figure line hasn't been faring too well when it comes to capitalising on the current series. Brand new characters are few and far between, with what little we do get coming months/years are the series they hail from has aired. Things might be picking up with the latest era though, as Character Options have finally unveiled their Fifteenth Doctor figure. Portrayed onscreen by Ncuti Gatwa, this figure will be made available in two versions – firstly a special "Vortex Edition" exclusive to Character's website, and then a retail edition (with a different costume and packaging) slightly later.