Toybox REVIEW: Star Wars Black Series Echo

Release Date: April 2022

RRP: $24.99/£23.99

It just goes to show that having a currently-airing show really helps when it comes to toy releases, as it only took Hasbro just over a year to release the main cast of Star Wars: The Bad Batch in the Black Series. Black Series Echo is the last of the (fully grown) clones who make up Clone Force 99 to be released, which is rather fitting given that the former Arc Trooper is also its latest member. Having been captured by Separatist Forces during the Clone Wars, Echo was turned into a cyborg and used against his brothers - feeding strategies to the droid army. After being freed by Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex and the Bad Batch, Echo joined the latter and was able to escape the effects of Order 66.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers War for Cybertron: Kingdom Blaster & Eject

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: $29.99/£24.99

Transformers has moved out of the War for Cybertron trilogy and now entered the Legacy era, but one of the last releases as part of the Kingdom line is a particularly interesting one as it straddles them both. Transformers War for Cybertron: Kingdom Blaster & Eject were announced as a very late entry to the final part of the WFC trilogy, but by the time they were released in Kingdom packaging it had already leaked that they would be part of the initial range of Legacy figures as well. Unlike fellow carryover Galvatron (who lacked the battle damage paintwork in Legacy) there are no differences between the two versions, so collectors can simply choose from which version is more readily available (or perhaps more importantly, cheaper).

Series REVIEW: Ultraman Decker

It's a testament to Ultraman's revival in the 1990s that not only were Tsuburaya Productions able to create a legacy with Ultraman Tiga that still stands 25 years later, but they were also able to follow it up with a series that's proved to be equally beloved. With 2022 celebrating the 25th anniversary of Ultraman Dyna, the latest instalment in the Ultra Series followed in the footsteps of predecessor Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga to reimagine its iconic hero for a new generation. The result was Ultraman Decker - a direct sequel to Trigger that continues its story the same way Dyna did with Tiga two and a half decades prior. True to their pledge to expand the Ultraman fandom across the globe, the series is available outside of Japan via the official Ultraman YouTube channel in a variety of languages. Only this time the episodes haven't just (initially) been made available for a limited time - the whole series is readily available for fans at their leisure.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who History of the Daleks #12 Set

Release Date: December 2022 

RRP: £24.99

Although Genesis of the Daleks definitely took centre stage in the Winter 2022 Doctor Who B&M exclusive range, it wasn't the only Dalek story to be featured. In addition to the two Genesis-themed sets Character Options also released History of the Daleks #12 - based on 1979's Destiny of the Daleks. The opening story to the show's 17th series, it saw the Fourth Doctor and the newly-regenerated Romana arrive on Skaro, where the Daleks have returned to search for their long-forgotten creator Davros - who they hope will be able to turn the tide in their long war against the Movellans.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who History of the Daleks #11 Set

Release Date: December 2022

RRP: £24.99

For many Doctor Who fans, Genesis of the Daleks is one of (if not the) greatest stories of all time. The origin of the Doctor's greatest adversary set against a war-torn Skaro, the story introduced the Daleks' creator Davros and subsequent Dalek encounters arguably struggled to live up to this level of quality. Its place in Doctor Who history has clearly been recognised by Character Options, who released not one, but TWO Genesis of the Daleks-themed sets as part of their final wave of B&M exclusive figures in 2022. Complimenting the Creation of the Daleks set is the eleventh entry in the History of the Daleks assortment, adding a further two standard gunmetal grey Daleks to the line.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who 'Creation of the Daleks' Collector Figure Set

Release Date: December 2022

RRP: £24.99

After radio silence for much of 2022 Character Options' Doctor Who toy line bounced back at the very end of the year with two waves of B&M exclusive figures hitting immediately after one another in the Autumn and Winter. While History of the Daleks has become a staple of these waves every so often an additional special Dalek-themed set joins them, and in the Winter selection it was the turn of the 'Creation of the Daleks' Collector Figure Set. This Genesis of the Daleks themed set takes us back to the seminal 1975 story, featuring one of the original Dalek drones featured as well as their maniacal creator – the Kaleds' chief scientist Davros.

Special REVIEW: Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger with Donbrothers

With Super Sentai having been continuously on the air since 1975, every year is an anniversary of some sort. But when it comes to teams that celebrate their anniversaries in style, none do it quite like Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger. After celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2013 with Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger: 10 YEARS AFTER, they'll be back again later this year to celebrate 20 years with Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger Degozaru! Shushuuto 20th Anniversary. The cast's return has also heralded Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger with Donbrothers, a short 15-minute special for the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club which sees the 26th Super Sentai team crossover with the latest instalment.

Toybox REVIEW: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Ninja Blue Ranger

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: $26.99/£32.99

No matter what anyone says, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is always going to be Hasbro's priority when it comes to the Lightning Collection – especially with the show's 30th anniversary right around the corner. However when it involves also getting throwbacks to season three and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, the repeated release of the original Power Rangers team(s) might not be such a bad thing. Continuing on with Hasbro's journey through the Rangers' ninja powers is the Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Ninja Blue Ranger, where original Blue Ranger Billy Cranston took on the powers of the wolf – cunning and swift.

Movie REVIEW: Avataro Sentai Donbrothers the Movie: New First Love Hero

While the Kamen Rider Summer movie may take top billing with its feature length, that doesn't necessarily make the Super Sentai Summer movie any less exciting. Despite their comparatively short running time it's a chance for the series to show off what it can do with a higher budget and movie-style visuals, and when it comes to a series like Avataro Sentai Donbrothers that's sure to be an experience. Avataro Sentai Donbrothers the Movie: New First Love Hero is the first big screen outing for the 46th Super Sentai team, paired up with Kamen Rider Revice the Movie: Battle Familia to make up the 2022 Summer theatrical lineup.

Toybox REVIEW: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Ninja Pink Ranger (Kimberly Hart)

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: $26.99/£32.99

While Hasbro have for the most part made a point of stretching out completing teams in the Lightning Collection for as long as possible to ensure its longevity, sometimes they do throw Power Rangers fans a bone and finish them up in one fell swoop. One such example are the Ninja (or for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie fans, Ninjetti) Rangers of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season three, who all came as single pack releases within a few months of each other. In fact, Hasbro were so keen that they even released two versions of the Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Ninja Pink Ranger! While this review looks at the initial Kimberly Hart variant, a second based on second Pink Ranger Katherine Hillard was released shortly afterward on Hasbro Pulse.

Custom Figure: "Big Finish" Dalek

Despite there being some great History of the Daleks sets released in 2022, all of which have PLENTY of potential for custom fodder, I didn't quite get as many customs produced as I had hoped. Blame the scarcity of seeing them in B&M Stores (I rarely saw enough sets on shelves to buy spares for customs) or just a lack of time and funds, but productivity was definitely at a low. That said, at the end of the year I started on a pretty simple project that would hopefully kickstart a more productive 2023. So without further ado I present my first Doctor Who custom figure for the year, hailing from a place which (second only to the TV21 Dalek comics) has always been one of my favourite places to scour for inspiration - the ever-growing audio adventures of Big Finish.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Suit Taro -The Animation-

Release Date: September 2022

RRP: 7150 yen

The second season of the ULTRAMAN anime series by Production I.G. and Sola Digital Arts finally landed on Netflix in 2022, and to coincide with its release Bandai Tamashii Nations revealed that they also would finally be returning to series! Even though an animation remould of the Ace Suit is yet to be seen in the line, given the focus of season two it made sense for Bandai to push forward with the release of S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Suit Taro -The Animation-. Debatably the main character of this season, Kotaro Higashi is the latest human to become Ultraman when is he mutated during a run-in with agents of the Black Star. S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Suit Taro -The Animation- is a Tamashii web exclusive release, and the first figure from the ULTRAMAN manga/anime since Bemular -The Animation- back in February 2020.