Back in 1966 before the days of Kamen Rider , Super Sentai or even Ultraman , there were still kaiju . Thanks to the success of the original Godzilla in 1955 and the subsequent films that followed, giant monster fever was about to hit an all-time high. While continuing his work on the Godzilla films with Toho studios, special effects legend Eiji Tsuburaya and his company Tsuburaya Productions teamed up with the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) to create Ultra Q , an episodic fantasy series pitched as Japan's answer to The Twilight Zone  and The Outer Limits .  Ultra Q was the very first entry in the long-running Ultra Series , with the original Ultraman starting only two weeks after it's 28-episode run. The rest of course is history. 

Release date: June 2017 RRP: 6480 yen (Japanese Edition), $84.99/£99.99 (Western Edition) Bandai Tamashii Nations' journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with the release of S.H. Figuarts Doctor Strange ! Although coming quite a while after the release of the character's film debut last year, the figure does time nicely with the growing hype for Avengers: Infinity War next year when the character (as played by Benedict Cumberbatch ) will interact with the rest of the MCU for the first time. As well as releasing as a Tamashii web exclusive in Japan, Doctor Strange was released officially in the West as part of an exclusive set which also includes a number of flame effect parts.

Release Date: June 2017  RRP: 5940 yen  Bandai Tamashii Nations have given the Macross franchise a lot of love in the past few years, but in the usual fashion that love is usually reserved for the various Valkyries and other mecha that feature in the show rather than the characters themselves. However that's all about to change, as poseable Macross figures finally become a reality with the release of S.H. Figuarts Mikumo Guynemer . The first of the five Walküre girls to appear in the line, the "Mysterious Venus" of Macross Delta was a mass release figure - with Freyja Wion following suit in July. While there's still no word on the release of Kaname , Makina  and Reina, prototypes at the very least have been produced so hopefully one day the group will be complete. But for now, it's time to see what the Kumo-Kumo has to offer.

Release Date: June 2017  RRP: 7560 yen  Ever since the Ultra Series found its new home with S.H. Figuarts the line has gone from strength to strength, limited not only to the Ultramen themselves but also aliens, kaiju and even an alternate version of the original Ultraman suit. This year marked the line’s jump to Ultraseven , with Bandai Tamashii Nations ’ third release from the show adding another staple opponent to the ever-growing line-up of Ultraman creatures. To Ultra fans King Joe needs no introduction, originally making its debut in episodes 14 and 15 of Ultraseven before going on to reappear (albeit sometimes in different colours) in Ultraman Max , Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle , Ultra Galaxy Legend , Ultraman Ginga S , Ultraman X and more.

The Reflection is available in streaming form via Crunchyroll Surely the combination of Stan Lee , Studio DEEN and director Hiroshi Nagahama ( Mushishi, Detroit Metal City ) is a recipe for success right? This summer anime fans will find out with the release of The Reflection , a new collaborative effort between Studio Deen and Lee’s own Pow! Entertainment . This isn’t the first time Stan Lee has dived into the world of anime, but with an increase in superhero shows thanks to the success of Tiger & Bunny , One-Punch Man and My Hero Academia the competition is pretty stiff these days.

Atom: The Beginning is available in streaming form via HIDIVE Astro Boy is a name synonymous with manga and anime. Even if you’ve never read a single chapter, watched a single episode of the various iterations spawned over the years or even heard of its legendary creator Osamu Tezuka odds are that the seminal series has influenced your favourite shows in some way. Since 2014 his son Makoto Tezuka has collaborated with Tetsuro Kashara and Masami Yuki on Atom: The Beginning – a prequel manga which tells of a time before the creation of Mighty Atom (aka Astro Boy ). In 2017 the title was adapted into a 12-episode anime series, created in collaboration between studios OLM, Inc. , Studio I.G. and Signal.MD.

Release Date: June 2017 RRP: 6480 yen Last year the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line made its first foray into villains and secondary Riders with the release of N Daguva Zeba and Kamen Rider Gatack , but as expected both figures came as Tamashii Web exclusive releases. However with S.H. Figuarts premium offshoot now covering the immensely popular Kamen Rider W , Bandai Tamashii Nations are shaking things up a bit. S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Accel is the first secondary Rider in the line to be released at retail, with Kamen Rider Skull arriving later in August as its first movie Rider.