Thursday 30 June 2022

Toybox REVIEW: Black Series Boba Fett (Tython)

Black Series Boba Fett (Tython) 01

Release Date: March 2022
RRP: $24.99/£23.99

There are plenty of iconic Star Wars moments that hail from the second season of The Mandalorian, but easily among the very best was the grand return of legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett in Chapter 14: The Tragedy. Revealed to have survived his apparent demise in the belly of the Sarlacc Pit, Fett tails the Mandalorian to the planet Tython where he demands the return of his armour. Following an attack by Imperial Forces, Boba is reunited with the armour and pledges to assist Mando in retrieving Grogu from the clutches of Moff Gideon. Hasbro have recognised this iconic return with the release of the Black Series Boba Fett (Tython) – a version that showed just how formidable a fighter Fett is even without his Beskar armour.

Monday 27 June 2022

Special REVIEW: Twokaizer x Gokaiger ~June Bride is Tanuki Flavor~

Twokaizer x Gokaiger ~June Bride is Tanuki Flavor~

Given how Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger naturally coincided with the tenth anniversary of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, a crossover between the two was inevitable. But while Captain Marvelous does make an appearance in Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger vs Kiramager vs Senpaiger that clearly wasn't enough, and thus its up to the Toei Tokusatsu Fanclub to provide a second meeting between the pirate Sentai and the Goldtsuiker family. Twokaizer x Gokaiger ~June Bride is Tanuki Flavor~ is a one-off special from Zenkaiger head writer Junko Komura that brings back Marvelous, Gai and Ahim once again, and in typical Gokaiger fashion has plenty to offer when it comes to transformations and the kind of ranger categorisation that'll surely cause debate amongst Super Sentai fans.

Friday 24 June 2022

Top 5: Most Wanted Doctor Who Figures (Classic Series)


Despite some of the difficulties Character Options' Doctor Who toy line has faced over the years, thanks to the steady stream of B&M store exclusives it's regained enough strength that figure wish lists don't feel like a complete fantasy any more – particularly when it comes to the classic era. For this month's top five feature I'll be looking at the figures I'd most like to see come to the line, as well as giving brief reasons as to why. Some of these are pretty unlikely so truth be told I don't have too much hope of any of them happening, but even if one could become a reality that would be cause for celebration.

Wednesday 22 June 2022

Toybox REVIEW: THE GATTAI DX Gridknight & Goldburn

THE GATTAI DX Gridknight & Goldburn 01

Release Date: November 2021 
RRP: 8800 yen 

Dynazenon may be a fantastic robot on its own, but as soon as SSSS.Gridman fan favourite Gridknight made an appearance in SSSS.Dynazenon fans immediately knew that a bigger combination was on the cards. Naturally it took a few episodes to happen, but the debut of Kaiser Gridknight in episode nine of the series certainly did not disappoint. And much in the same way – THE GATTAI DX Gattai Ryujin Dynazenon may be a fantastic figure on its own, but why stop there when you can have something even bigger? Enter THE GATTAI DX Gridknight & Goldburn, an add-on set that was released to coincide with the reissue of Dynazenon. Prior to its November release collectors who had previously bought Dynazenon were invited to take part in special lottery, with the prize being the opportunity to purchase and receive the set some months ahead of its official release. Unfortunately said official release wasn't quite as straightforward as Dynazenon's, with the set being made exclusively available through the Good Smile Company online store…plus any middlemen services that chose to carry it of course.

Friday 3 June 2022

Toybox REVIEW: THE GATTAI Gattai Ryujin DX Dynazenon

THE GATTAI Gattai Ryujin DX Dynazenon 01

Release Date: May 2021, October 2021 (Reissue)
RRP: 22,000 yen

As beloved as SSSS.Gridman was by anime and tokusatsu fans alike, there's one thing that we can agree that wasn't so successful - the toys. Whether it was the price or quality control issues, the anime successor to Hyper Agent Gridman seemed to draw the short straw when it came the perfect version of Full Power Gridman - with the DX offering from Good Smile Company being the most notorious of all. So when sequel series SSSS.Dynazenon was announced by Studio Trigger and Tsuburaya Productions, naturally collectors feared the worst when it come to get a nice big combining figure of this impressive super robot. However it looks as though Good Smile learned from previous mistakes, even teaming up with popular high-end toy company Sentinel (who've released more than their fair share of incredible robot toys) to produce THE GATTAI Gateau Ryujin DX Dynazenon. Though originally announced as a standard DX release, prior to its release Dynazenon was adopted into THE GATTAI - a new range from Good Smile focusing specifically on high-end combining robots. Somewhere both Gridman and Dynazenon would feel right at home.

Wednesday 1 June 2022

Miniseries REVIEW: Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad

Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad
Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad is available to rent on UltramanConnection.com (English dub only)

For Ultraman fans across the globe the Ultra Galaxy Fight series have become a rather special event. What initially seemed like a fun little battle-orientated miniseries like the Ultra Fight series of old have developed into so much more, drawing on every corner of Ultraman continuity in a galaxy-spanning adventure that puts the Ultramen (and women) themselves in the spotlight. After the story was left on a cliff-hanger in The Absolute Conspiracy, Tsuburaya Productions have now unleashed the next chapter with Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad. Supposedly boasting over 100 characters, the ten-episode miniseries has been made available in its entirely on the Ultraman Connection website (though at the time of writing sadly the English dub only) – boasting over two hours of hardcore Ultraman content.