Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii

It’s that time of a year again where the latest Kamen Rider series makes its first jump into the world of S.H. Figuarts. 2015-16 is the year of Kamen Rider Ghost, so things are kicking off with S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii – the base form of the titular rider. “Ore Damashii” means “My Soul”, as in this form is all Takeru Tenkuji as opposed to the various legendary hero Eyecons he acquires over the course of the show. While personally I can’t say I’m much of a fan of Ghost as a series, that’s a discussion best saved to have in a few months time. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the first figure from a series that certainly has plenty to offer the line in terms of scale.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Body-Kun DX Set [Gray Color Ver.]

For the past few years the blank S.H. Figuarts body has been a staple of the Tamashii Nations event. Whether it’s showing off the latest effect parts, acting as a stand-in opponent or teasing collectors by being displayed in various Kamen Rider henshin poses, these figures are never too far away from a big display. Clearly knowing that they had something good on their hands, Bandai have now officially released this blank body to the public under the guise of the perfect drawing aid for human bodies. Not only that, but there were an impressive four different retail releases for Body-kun (male) and Body-chan (female) – standard orange/flesh coloured versions as well as grey DX variants with boosted accessory counts. On review here is the DX Body-kun set, arguably the poster child for this surprising but at the same time intriguing sub-line of the Figuarts brand.

Toybox REVIEW: Megahouse G.E.M. Series James (Kojiro) & Meowth (Nyarth)

If you’re prepared for trouble then it’s time to make it double! Megahouse kicked off their highly anticipated Pokémon range in their non-scale G.E.M. Series statue line a few months ago with Jessie and Wobbuffet (known to Japanese audiences as Musashi and Sonans), and so the second character to join her is of course the second half of the enigmatic Team Rocket duo. However James (or Kojiro as the Japanese packaging notes) isn’t alone either, bringing along with him Meowth (Nyarth) – the talking Pokémon who’s just as much a member of the bumbling team as his human compatriots. For long-time Pokémon fans this is a rare opportunity to own high quality figures (or even figures in general) of the anime cast, so surrender your wallets now or you’ll lose the fight! Meowth, that’s right!

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Bowser

Bandai Tamashii Nations’ journey into the colourful world of Nintendo’s flagship franchise continues with the arrival of S.H. Figuarts Bowser! Primary antagonist and star of the Super Mario series since the very beginning, the King of the Koopas is perhaps one of the more radical entries in the Figuarts line thanks to his inhuman design and proportions. While some collectors out there may think Bowser is more suited to the S.H. MonsterArts line, his cartoonish design would have been a major clash there and so really he fits perfectly under the Figuarts banner. Like the Fire Flower Mario and recent diorama sets, Bowser is a Tamashii web exclusive figure.

Toybox REVIEW: Power Rangers Legacy Collection Thunder Megazord

The 20th Anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise may have spawned a pretty terrible celebration in terms of the show, but as far as the toys go Bandai of America have been doing some pretty interesting things since. Although the strict focus on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers might be irksome to fans who want to see the other iterations receive fair representation, the Legacy Collection toy line has come a long way from beginning with a nice repaint of the 2010 Megazord release – now churning out high-end quality role play weapons and zords with better sculpting and detailing. The original Dino Megazord was followed by new versions of the Dragonzord, Titanus and the White Tigerzord, and as the trip through the three seasons of MMPR continued the Thunder Megazord came next. Initial pictures suggested this could be the most impressive Legacy Collection release yet, but at $200 it certainly doesn’t come cheap.

Custom Figure: Time War Dalek Scientist

"Did you not see the markings on their casings? Dalek Scientists."

From the Dalek Time Controller to the “benevolent” Daleks from a parallel dimension, Big Finish’s expansive Doctor Who audios have always been a wonderful source for interesting and obscure Dalek variants. Sometimes these simply have to be left to interpretation, but those that manage to grace the CD artwork the perfect inspiration for custom figures. And with the release of Infernal Devices, the second box set in the new War Doctor range, another has joined them. Appearing on the cover of its second part A Thing of Guile is a new version of a Dalek Scientist, specifically the ones that appeared during the last great Time War between the Daleks and the Time Lords.

Movie REVIEW: Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. ToQger

The annual Super Sentai Versus Series team up movie is more than just a tradition, it's an event. The fact they come around every year might mean that crossovers aren't all that scarce or special in the tokusatsu world, but they all act as an end point for two shows that have (hopefully) captured audiences for the past two years. For the the current team it may only be until they return next year for a second crossover, but for the returning one this truly could be the end so its always important to make it a good one. 2015's entry into the series is Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. ToQger: Ninja in Wonderland, bringing ninjas and trains together in a film full of flash and imagination.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Beerus

Thanks to the likes of the Battle of Gods and Resurrection F movies along with the ongoing Dragon Ball Super series, Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball franchise is back in full swing. And although its successful revival can be attributed to seeing the return of fan favourites such as Goku, Vegeta and Freeza, it’s also thanks to the franchise’s two newest characters – the god of destruction Beerus and his attendant Whis. Since making their debut in Battle of Gods, these characters have more than earned their place among the show’s leads. As such it was only a matter of time before Bandai Tamashii Nations added these two to their S.H. Figuarts line, with Beerus released late March 2016 and Whis set to follow in August. However what’s more surprising is that Beerus was actually a mass release figure, a rarity for Dragon Ball Figuarts in Japan – there had only been four previously, and two of which were Goku!

Toybox REVIEW: Marvel Legends Spider-Man (Ben Reilly)/Spider-Carnage

The 90s were a pretty weird time as it is, but for Spider-Man they couldn’t get much weirder. 1994 brought along the infamous two-year-long Clone Saga arc, which ended with Peter Parker, given the news that he in fact may actually be a clone, leaving to begin a new life with Mary Jane as a new Spider-Man took over duties in New York City. This Spider-Man was Ben Reilly, the former Scarlet Spider originally perceived to be a clone. Of course this being comics the status quo didn’t last forever and Peter one day returned (with confirmation he was the original), but Ben’s time as the Scarlet Spider/Spider-Man and eventual sacrifice has made him a favourite amongst fans despite considerable backlash at the time. Now Hasbro have added the Ben Reilly Spider-Man, complete in his rendition of the costume, to their Marvel Legends line – complete with alternate parts to create Spider-Carnage, the twisted mix of Reilly and the Carnage symbiote.

Anime Review: Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Though a constant influence and staple in the anime world for over 35 years, right now Mobile Suit Gundam seems to be enjoying quite a boom. Between the endless supply of model kits, multiple television series and OVAs mecha fans are in no short supply of new material from the genre-defining franchise. And although the Yoshiyuki Tomino-led Reconguista in G proved divisive among the fanbase, it wasn't long before Gundam was back for a brand new instalment in the form of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans (also abbreviated to simply G-Tekketsu from it's full Japanese title). Adding another alternate timeline into the franchise's long and varied chronology, Iron-Blooded Orphans comes from director and writer team Tatsuyuki Nagai and Mari Okada - the pair famously behind AnoHana as well as many other notable anime works of the past few years.