My Shiny Toy Robots

Release Date: February 2022 RRP: £19.99 As wonderful as it is to be getting new figures again, it's fair to say that the B&M exclusive Doctor Who range has gotten into a fairly predictable pattern when it comes to releases. History of the Daleks, three-packs, the odd Doctor/TARDIS two-packs…though the contents of the sets might still be a surprise the format usually isn't. Which is why it’s especially nice that Character Options have launched their 2022 range with something a little different from the norm – the Robot Collector Figure Set . Paying tribute to Fourth Doctor Tom Baker 's debut story from 1974, this limited edition set features both the Doctor himself and the K1 Robot – a figure that's been long overdue a reissue.

Release Date: February 2022 RRP: £29.99 While the various B&M store exclusive figures released by Character Options continue to excite Doctor Who fans, it's whenever they announce their next website exclusive that things get really exciting. Though there's only usually one a year (the ' Jungles of Mechanus' Dalek set in 2020 and then the Abominable Snowman Second Doctor/TARDIS set in 2021), it's a release slot reserved for some of the line's more remarkable releases. And in 2022 Character have produced the most remarkable one so far, with the Warriors of the Deep Collector Figure Set . Based on the 1984 story from the Fifth Doctor 's tenure, this three-figure set includes the three Silurians featured in the story – Ichtar , Scibus and Tarpok . Not only was it released exclusively through the Character Online website , but the set is also limited to only 3000 pieces.

When it comes to Kamen Rider , there's no such thing as a happy ending. No matter how cleanly the series itself may have ended, you can almost guarantee that the battle isn't over yet – and in some cases, the threat the Riders face in their V-cinema/V-Cinext film might just be the worst of them all. Now the story of Kamen Rider Saber continues in Kamen Rider Saber: Trio of Deep Sin , with head writer Takuro Fukuda returning to pen the film after largely leaving the latter half of the series to other writers. In what's one of many departures this V-Cinext release takes, the story focus on protagonist Touma Kamiyama as well as supporting Riders Rintaro Shindo and Kento Fukamiya .

Release Date: December 2021 RRP: £19.99 Now that we're few years into the B&M exclusive History of the Daleks sets, it's time to fully jump into 1970s era of Doctor Who with the second set from the Third Doctor' s era – History of the Daleks #8 . Based around the 1973 serial Planet of the Daleks , the story saw the Doctor and Jo chase the Daleks to the planet Spirdon. Teaming up with a group of Thals, they help defeat the Daleks and bury the 10,000-strong army they have lying dormant in the planet's icy caverns. This latest Dalek set from Character Options was released as part of their December 2021 assortment.

Release Date:  February 2022 RRP: $31.99/£33.99 Although The Mandalorian has done a fantastic job of taking characters from the animated chapters of the Star Wars universe and bringing them into live-action, that isn't the only place the writers are drawing from. They're also drawing from the various comics, novels and video games that make up the current Star Wars canon - with perhaps the primary example being Cobb Vanth . Originally hailing from the Star Wars: Aftermath novels that lead into the sequel trilogy, Cobb Vanth was brought into season two of The Mandalorian as the marshal of Mos Pelgo , helping to keep the peace with the salvaged armour of feared bounty hunter Boba Fett . Not only did the arrival of a man in Fett's armour kickstart the lead up of Boba's return from the dead, but Cobb Vanth remained as a beloved character whose story carried through into The Book of Boba Fett and beyond. 

Release Date: October 2021 RRP: $22.99/£21.99 If there's one thing that Hasbro can count on being big sellers in their various Star Wars toy lines at the moment, it's Mandalorians. The success of The Mandalorian on Disney+ has propelled the warrior creed to the very forefront of the Star Wars universe, and every new addition is able to turn heads. Even bit-part characters such as Bo-Katan Kryze loyalist Koska Reeves can make a big impression when played by the likes of WWE superstar Sasha Banks (real name Mercedes Varnado). Now another Mandalorian is added to the collection with the release of the Black Series Koska Reeves , joining the previously released  Bo-Katan in her fight against Moff Gideon and the remainder of the Empire.

It's time for another My Shiny Toy Robots top five list and this time we're getting kaiju-sized and entering the world of S.H. MonsterArts ! Since the line debuted back in 2011 Bandai Tamashii Nations have arguably led the way when it comes to high-end articulated Godzilla (and a few other franchises, but mainly Godzilla ) figures, but it hasn't always been smooth-sailing for the line. Expensive figures that only get more expensive on the aftermarket, endless repaints and a focus seemingly only on Godzilla suit variants, there's so much potential Bandai have left untapped. So without further ado, here are the five characters I want most to join my (admittedly rather small) collection of S.H. MonsterArts figures!

It's a brand new year and it's time for a whole new batch of classic Dalek toys! If the B&M exclusive History of the Daleks sets don't show any sign of slowing down, then neither will I. But with the boxes largely ticked on both TV21 comics and The Curse of Fatal Death variants, it's time to look at different sources of inspiration. And one area that has remained largely untouched for me is video games. While the world of Doctor Who video games is a largely maligned one, video game-inspired decos are a hit when it comes to action figures – just look at some of the fantastic work NECA does with theirs. So inspired by their work, I turned my attention to doing the same for the Daleks – and more specifically, Dalek Attack !

Release Date: November 2021 RRP: $22.99/£21.99 Just call the four! Fantastic Four! What better way to round out this quartet of Fantastic February reviews than with Aunt Petunia's favourite nephew, the Marvel Legends Retro Thing ! Although not a blood relative like the rest of Marvel's first family, Benjamin Grimm is as much as part of the family as the rest of them. The pilot of that fateful spacecraft that was bombarded by cosmic rays, Ben was turned into a walking pile of rocks - unable to "turn off" his powers like the rest of the team. Though an integral part of the  Fantastic Four the Thing's popularity has also led him to break away into many of his own adventures - from solo comic runs to a short-lived animated series in 1979 (where he had quite the different origin). This retro version from Hasbro is supposed to reminiscence on a different animated version though - the one from the  Fantastic Four animated series of the 1990s which debuted as part of the ...

Release Date: November 2021 RRP: $22.99/£21.99 No need to fear, they're here!  Part three of Fantastic February continues with Hasbro's Marvel Legends retro Human Torch figure! The brother of Invisible Woman Susan Richards, Johnny Storm is the youngest and most hot-headed member of the Fantastic Four . After shouting his catchphrase of "Flame On!" , Johnny becomes engulfed in flame and is capable of flight in addition to controlling his own flames or absorbing any around him. As was the case with the Invisible Woman, a Hasbro Pulse exclusive version was released alongside this general retail figure. Only this time the difference was a little more substantial, with the Hasbro Pulse variant being a powered-down version of Johnny with minimal flame effects.

Release Date: November 2021 RRP: $22.99/£21.99 And the four were changed forever, in some most fantastic ways! This quartet of Fantastic February reviews continues with the Marvel Legends retro Invisible Woman figure! Given the powers of invisibility and force field projection by the cosmic rays that hit their spacecraft, Susan Richards (nee Storm) formed the Fantastic Four alongside her husband-to-be Reed Richards , brother Johnny Storm and friend Ben Grimm . This entry in Hasbro's ever-growing range of retro-figures is based about the character's appearance in the 1994-96 animated series, where she battled against the likes of Doctor Doom, Galactus, Annihilus, Blastaar, the Skrulls, Psycho-Man and many more. While this figure was a general retail release, it was also accompanied by an "invisible" Hasbro Pulse exclusive variant moulded entirely in clear plastic.

Release Date: November 2021 RRP: $22.99/£21.99 On an outer space adventure, they got hit by cosmic rays! Though often under-appreciated, the 1994-96  Fantastic Four animated series was a significant piece of Marvel Comics animation for fans growing up during that time. Though it may not have been on the same level as the Spider-Man or X-Men cartoons, Fantastic Four was my generation's main introduction to the world of Marvel's first family - and its (SIGNIFICANTLY better) second season the likes of Black Panther , Thor and Ghost Rider too. So imagine my excitement when Hasbro announced a whole wave of retro carded Fantastic Four Marvel Legends figures, following on from the retro carded Doctor Doom released in 2020. So in celebration of these figures and my love for the cartoon, I'm kicking off a little set of reviews I like to call  Fantastic February  - starting off with the genius scientist who can stretch like elastic, Reed Richards  aka Mr. Fantastic ....

Release Date: October 2021 RRP: 8250 yen When a brand new Shinkocchou Seihou rendition of Kamen Rider Black was announced for release in 2021, no one should have been surprised to see that his brother Noboyuki wasn't far behind. S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Shadow Moon is the third release of the character from Bandai Tamashii Nations (none of which have been web exclusive), further cementing his place as one of the most iconic Kamen Rider villains of all time. But with Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Black proving to be quite the controversial talking point amongst collectors, is Shadow Moon plagued with the same problems or another winner for S.H. Figuarts' premium sub-line?