Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Ultraman

Release Date: July 2022

RRP: 7700 yen

The 50th anniversary of Ultraman was a pretty significant time as far as toys were concerned, as Bandai Tamashii Nations finally said goodbye to the old Ultra-Act line and integrated the franchise into S.H. Figuarts. To commemorate the occasion, Bandai released a lavish 50th anniversary set which included a number of unique accessories as well as an exclusive Option-Act Building Set. Five years and multiple variants and re-releases later, the franchise is celebrating his 55th anniversary and it's time for Ultraman to level up once again. This time, the original giant of light joins Bandai's premium Figuarts range with the release of S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Ultraman – the second Ultra to have this honour after Ultraman Tiga. But with Tiga turning out a somewhat troubled release, would this Ultraman show off the same high quality the Kamen Rider releases have been enjoying for years?

Toybox REVIEW: SV-Action Peni Parker & SP//dr

Release Date: June 2022

RRP: 13750 yen

While it seems that MAFEX have given up halfway through the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse cast, thankfully Sentinel arrived to pick up the slack and see the main Spider crew through right to the end with their aptly-titled SV-Action line. Starting things off simply with figures of both Miles Morales and Peter B. Parker, Sentinel then threw a bit off a curveball - not going the predictable route by doing Gwen next but instead surprising everyone with SV-Action Peni Parker & SP//dr. Given that even Hasbro haven't touched this pair with the Marvel Legends range, it certainly shows their dedication to the critically-acclaimed film.

Toybox REVIEW: Star Wars Black Series Death Watch Mandalorian

Release Date: April 2022

RRP: $24.99/£23.99

If you ever want confirmation that Mandalorians are a sure seller right now, look no further than the Black Series Death Watch Mandalorian figure. While this splinter group of Mandalorian extremists played a massive role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, their role in The Mandalorian has been far more limited – appearing in a flashback that revealed how foundling Din Djarin was rescued from a Super Battle Droid attack. However this all too brief appearance debuted a new live-action look for the Death Watch armour, which Hasbro have now added to their collector figure lines that'll surely entice the army builders among us.

Reviews in Time & Space: Doctor Who 2022 Centenary Special - The Power of the Doctor

"It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for." After four years and 31 episodes, the time of Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall has come to an end. Combined with the celebration of the BBC's centenary, such an exit deserves an extra-special episode of Doctor Who. The Doctor's greatest enemies converge on her in The Power of the Doctor – a feature length special clocking in at an incredible 90 minutes. As teased following the credits of Legend of the Sea Devils, the episode brings back classic companies Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) – along with several other familiar faces that were kept top secret ahead of the episode airing.

(This review contains major spoilers, make sure you've seen the episode first!)

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who History of the Daleks #10 Set

Release Date: October 2022

RRP: £24.99

After an extended stop-off at Planet of the Daleks, Character Options continues its journey through the History of the Daleks! We move forward in the Doctor Who timeline to 1974 with History of the Daleks #10 - a set based on Death to the Daleks. This story saw the Daleks arrive on the planet Exxilon, where they initially needed to ally themselves with the Doctor when the energy drain from the Exxilon city rendered their weaponry useless. Following secret development of physical projectile weapons, the Daleks were then able to reassume their exterminating ways before their eventual defeat.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who History of the Daleks #9 Set

Release Date: October 2022

RRP: £24.99

When Character Options first announced their plans for History of the Daleks #8 (based on Planet of the Daleks), Doctor Who fans were surprised that they had opted to include two standard grey Daleks rather than some of the more notable variants that appeared in the story. The reveal that the Daleks featured a brand-new mutant reveal gimmick alleviated the pain somewhat, but it was still disappointing that the Supreme Dalek was nowhere to be found. Fast-forward a year and the 2022 range of B&M Store exclusive figures are finally hitting shelves, and Character Options have thrown out another surprise - History of the Daleks #9 is another Planet of the Daleks set! That's right, the 1973 serial is back for round two - this time including both the aforementioned Supreme Dalek and a new take on an "invisible" Dalek.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Trigger Dark

Release Date: June 2022

RRP: 7480 yen

Mirroring the story that was originally told 25 years ago in Ultraman Tiga, in Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga it is revealed that Ultraman Trigger was originally a Giant of Darkness – working together with Carmeara, Darrgon and Hudram on their path of destruction before turning to the light and becoming the titular hero. After being brought to the present and subsequently defeated, Trigger Dark's essence was absorbed into a Hyper Key – with his powers being wielded by the treasure hunter Ignis against the Giants of Darkness to avenge his home planet. Though initially unable to control Trigger Dark's powers, Ignis eventually become a key ally to Trigger in his fight. Now Bandai Tamashii Nations present S.H. Figuarts Trigger Dark – their latest Tamashii web exclusive addition to the Ultraman Trigger range.

Top 5: Most Wanted Shokugan Modeling Project (SMP) Releases

Whether you've accepted Shokugan Modeling Project into your hearts or still go about calling it by its original Super Mini-Pla name, there's no denying that Bandai's premium super robot model kit line has been doing some incredible things over the past few years. From its various Super Sentai and tokusatsu releases to a plethora of anime bots, SMP has become a key place for collectors to get their robot fix. But even with everything they've covered so far that's just a fraction of what Japan has to offer, and that's without counting the 30+ years of Super Sentai still untouched by them. So for this month's top five I'm looking at the things I'd most like to see join the Shokugan Modeling Project line, most of which would probably be released as overpriced Premium Bandai exclusives but I'd happily buy regardless.

Anime REVIEW: Fuuto PI

Fuuto PI is available in streaming form via Crunchyroll

When Kamen Rider W made a surprising return in 2017 in the form of the Fuuto Tantei manga series, many fans automatically assumed it would probably never get an anime adaptation despite being perfect for it. After all, Kamen Rider Spirits is right there and Toei still haven't done anything with it. But Kamen Rider's 50th anniversary celebrations brought along some big announcements, one of which revealing that the two-in-one detectives would be returning to television screens in the Fuuto PI anime series. Animated by relatively new anime studio Studio Kai, the 12-episode has been adapted for screen by Tatsuto Higuchi – with the manga's story having been penned by original Kamen Rider W writer Riko Sanjo.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Ribut

Release Date: April 2022

RRP: 6050 yen

The Ultra Galaxy Fight series has brought back a number of obscure Ultraman heroes back into the fold, but undoubtedly one of its greatest achievements is making a star out of Ultraman Ribut. Originally created as a joint collaboration between Tsuburaya Productions and Malaysian company Les' Copaque Production for their animated series Upin and Ipin, Ultraman Ribut has gone on to appear in all three recent Ultra Galaxy Fight instalments (New Generation Heroes, The Absolute Conspiracy and The Destined Crossroad) as well as make a guest appearance in Ultraman Trigger and star in his own Galaxy Rescue Force voice drama. Bandai Tamashii Nations have recognised this prominence with the release of S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Ribut – the first of their Ultra Galaxy Fight figures to be released at general retail.