That time of year where the wallets of toy collectors all over the world cry out in pain has rolled around again, with Bandai Tamashii Nations holding their annual Tamashii Nation showcase event in Tokyo. The event saw the usual array of reveals and announcements for their various toy lines, with a wide selection of anime, tokusatsu, video game and Western media products. While my personal hopes/predictions for the event were a bit off this year, that didn't stop Bandai from revealing a whole host of great items that'll tide me over into 2024. As usual here are my five favourite reveals from the event, as well as hopes and prayers that none of these will end up in Bandai purgatory. Though truth be told, they've gotten much better at "announce less, release more" in recent years.

  Release Date: July 2017 RRP: 4167 yen (Standard Edition), 5370 yen (DX Edition) Continuing in their goal to seemingly make a new Link figure for every Legend of Zelda game going forwards, Good Smile Company are back again with Nendoroid Link: Breath of the Wild Ver. in both standard in DX Editions . While some are surely thinking “do we really need yet another Link figure?”, when it comes from one of the most popular Zelda games of all time and is based on a design that’s a significant departure from the usual one the answer is most definitely yes. Breath of the Wild Link is the third Link Nendoroid (following on from the Wind Waker and Majora’s Mask versions) and the sixth overall including the three Figma releases. It’s also the second to be released in 2017, coming only a few months after the release of Figma Link Twilight Princess Ver.

Release Date: May 2017 RRP: 5093 yen (Standard Edition), 6000 yen (DX Edition) Between the two Figma and two Nendoroid figures released over past five years, it’s fair to say that Good Smile Company know that a Legend of Zelda Link figure will usually go down pretty well. So it’s no surprise to see that 2017 will see a new variant in both lines, with Figma opting for a Twilight Princess version spurred on by the game’s HD remake last year. Much like the A Link Between Worlds version this Link also comes in standard and DX editions, however unlike before this DX Edition isn’t limited to just the GSC and partner stores. On top of that it also released the same month as the long-awaited Figma Princess Zelda , making May 2017 a particularly special month for Zelda fans.

When Good Smile Company dived into the wonderful world of Nintendo it’s fair to say that the Legend of Zelda was one of their biggest offerings – for proof look no further than the amount of re-releases Skyward Sword Link has had since his original release in 2013. Since then GSC and Max Factory have covered a number of Zelda games through the Nendoroid and Figma lines including Wind Waker , A Link Between Worlds , Majora’s Mask and (due for release next year) Twilight Princess . However as varied as this range may be, there was one significant problem – all the figures were of Link. However that’s finally no longer the case, as the Wind Waker version of Princess Zelda herself finally joins the Nendoroid line!

When Nintendo finally began licensing their characters out to companies to produce figures it didn’t take long for said companies to realise they were on to a golden goose. So after the success of their Skyward Sword Figma and Wind Waker Nendoroid figures, Good Smile Company have turned to the Legend of Zelda franchise once again for another iteration of the legendary Hero of Time. This Nendoroid Link is based on his appearance in the 2000 Nintendo 64 game Majora’s Mask , or more specifically its 2015 3DS remake Majora’s Mask 3D . This unique Zelda offering took Link out of Hyrule, placing him in the land of Termina with only three days to stop the moon crashing into the Earth. However thanks to some ocarina trickery, you can do an awful lot in 72 hours. For Smash Bros. fans this figure can also serve a double purpose, representing Young Link from Super Smash Bros. Melee. This was the only game in the franchise Young Link appeared in, before being replaced by Toon Link f...

Ever since Figma broke into the world of poseable figures, there's been hope that one day they might tackle Link from The Legend of Zelda . When Max Factory then announced Metroid's Samus Aran for the line, that hope began to grow until finally Zelda fans were given the figure they'd been dreaming of. After years of nothing but gashapon figures, expensive statues and poorly made action figures, the Hero of Time has found a place where he can truly shine. Here is the review of Figma Link, in his appearance from the latest Legend of Zelda game: Skyward Sword . The box sports a cloudy sky image (its Skyward Sword after all), with a rather fitting green and gold trim for the Figma logo and details. Meanwhile the spines and back of the box display Link in a variety of different poses, as is the norm for Figma releases. Open up the box and the figure and its parts are separated onto two trays, with the sword sheath and effect part stored underneath the main tr...