 |
| Star Wars vehicle models |
First convention of the year and I am happy to say that it was the NY Toy Fair. Always great to start things off at a more business oriented convention but with the most amazing action figures that I’m sure we all will gladly go broke for. My only downside this year that I was only able to attend 1 day of Toy Fair and that was Saturday. This is one of those conventions that you need to attend as many days as possible, especially if you are doing press. One day just gives you a nice tour through maybe one floor, just because you have to stop and eat and of course because it ends around 6pm. Plus I’ve started to not care about attending cons the first thing in the morning just because I enjoy sleeping much more. Unless there is a panel or signing I really want to attend, I see no reason to lose sleep.
Toy Fair is always a vibrant show; the sun was out,
musicians were playing, and mascots were out and about. Like always me and my
amigo The Master Gio started at the lower levels of the Javits Center. Usually
because that is where the majority of action figures from companies like NECA,
Funko, Square Enix, etc are located. As we walked around we saw a lot of
familiar booths and faces. But the one thing we noticed was that some of our
favorites have diminished in size. It’s not as surprising as it may seem, just
says that there isn’t much to showcase this year or they are waiting until San
Diego Comic Con to start showing off. Which is kind of disappointing especially
when you can’t attend a convention like San Diego Comic Con, so you kind of
hope that you get to see the company’s figures before then, but sometimes that
isn’t always the case.
First booth that caught my eye was the Jazwares booth
showcasing vinyl Super Deformed (SD) versions of the RWBY characters. On
display were the main 4 characters: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang (with both
arms). All were available for sale since last year and are still available
through Rooster Teeth and Amazon.
One of my top favorite toy companies since I’ve attended the NY Toy Fair was back, but unfortunately they did not have anything new yet! I’m talking about the toy company that set a new standard in female action figures; IAmElemental. IAmElemental showed everyone that what matters in an action isn’t whether it’s male or female, but that it is something that sparks the imagination and of course is fun. They were up for Toy of the Year in this year’s Toy Fair and were up against companies like Mattel that had just come out with DC Superhero Girls based on the DC cartoon of the same name. While IAmElemental lost and Mattel won, it goes to show that companies giving the excuse the female figures don’t sell is utter nonsense. What they did have on display this year were animatronic wings based on the Exploration figure. Now these wings did not fly but the wingspan on them was incredible! Hopefully by later this year they will unveil the 6.5” core Wisdom figure.
 |
| Master Gio displaying his element of Mastery |
Next up was a booth that any cosplayers would
appreciate greatly; Neptune Trading. It is a company that sells both replica
and LARP foam versions of weapons from TV and movies. What got my attention the
most were their con safe foam replicas of Kirito’s and Asuna’s blades from the
first season first half of the story arc of Sword Art Online. The foam blades
on display were Kirito’s Dark Repulsor & Elucidator. For Asuna they had her
Lambent Light. The hold and feel of all 3 foam replicas was amazing. They
looked amazing, authentic, and they were definitely something that no con would
confiscate. With the way cons are cracking down props, it is great to see
companies give cosplayers alternatives at a fairly decent price. They had foam
replicas from other shows like Negan’s bat from The Walking Dead, and of course
a few weapons from Game of Thrones. While Neptune is based out in Canada, they
have an Ohio base under the name of Wuu Jau Co Inc. So any cosplayers looking
for con safe props feel free to reach out to them or even through this blog.
Japanime Games was the next stop and on display was
everyone’s favorite hero for fun Saitama! Looking very heroic and highly
detailed in this statue showing him do the classic super hero landing as the
earth beneath him just caves in. Also on display were the Naruto Shippuden mini
figures featuring: Naruto, Sasuke, Gara, and Sakura. Each figure comes on a
classic black stand and are incredibly detailed, priced at $19.99. For the
collectors looking for limited edition items, on display was Obito Uchiwa by Tsume
priced at $75, features his mangekyou sharingan and Madara's rinnegan. The
figure presents a dynamic pose, with his mask shattered in pieces and Madara's
Gunbai in his left hand.
One of the booths that is always a must visit is of
course Bandai! With its long list of licenses for figures, they always have
something new to showcase at Toy Fair. If you’re a modeler, brand new Gundam
kits will be out soon. And these aren’t just the plastic ones; their new line
Metal Build is the next step in the evolution of gundam build series.
While DragonBall GT may not have been the best series
it could have been, I did like the Super Saiyin 4 form and now we have it in
action figure form. Both Super Saiyin 4 Goku and Vegeta are coming soon. Also
on their way are Saiyin pods that you can fit your DBZ/GT figure in. And
everyone’s favorite villain Freezer in his floating pod that he had when he was
first introduced.
From the S.H. Figuarts come the Sailor Moon figures
based off the new anime Sailor Moon Crystal. So far on display were Pretty
Guardian Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Neptune & pluto along with the
Tamashii Buddies of Neptune and Pluto which are available for purchase. It
doesn’t stop there with Sailor Moon; coming soon will be the Figuarts Zero
Chouette featuring Chibi-Usa with Helios and Princess Serenity. Saving the best
for last; from their Proplica line is the Kaleidomoon Scope. For every Sailor
Moon cosplayers out there that has always made this particular prop, now you
can get an official one in your hands coming this April. Price tag may or may
not be on par with a commission at a price of $137.99. For fans that want a
more sentimental keepsake, the Tuxedo Mirage Memorial is set to come out in
June of this year. It lights up just like in the end credits of the animation
with changing moon phases.
It is a good time to be a Power Ranger fine especially
with the release of the Soul of Chogokin Megazord. This isn’t like the past
Soul of Chogokin Megazord where it was just a figure; this is the one that combines
to form the Megazord. You’ll have all 5 Zords separated and able to display
individually or you can combine them to form the legendary Megazord. Also if
are a figure collector but aren’t interested in the big legacy figures that are
coming out new Tamashii Buddies of the Megazord, Green Ranger, Yellow, Blue,
Black, and White Ranger are coming soon.
If you are just into giant robots combing and love Toy
Story then be ready for wish to come true. Back in December of last year
CHOGOKIN Woody Robo Sheriff Star was released; combining figures included
Woody, Hamm, Slinky Dog, Rex, and Bullseye. This year Buzz the Space Ranger
Robo is set to release and that includes: Buzz Lightyear, 2 Little Green Men,
and his spaceship 42. You can also take all those figures and combine them into
the ultimate combination “Gangreat King”!
Of course the King of combining
robots Voltron was also on view. The soul of Chogokin Voltron just like the
Megazord also separates and combines. This is not the new Dreamworks Voltron,
but the Beast King Go-Lion Voltron from the 80s and is already available for
purchase.
Just when you thought there wasn’t enough WWE merch,
S.H. Figuarts is now releasing more WWE figures. The Stone Cold Steve Austin
and The Rock have a street date of January of this year so hopefully you
haven’t missed out on those. Coming down the pipe starting in April 2017 is The
Cerebral Assassin HHH, The Undertaker coming in August of this year and Kane
coming possibly the same month as well.
One of the coolest displays at the
Bandai booth was there digital coloring tech display which showcased how much
work goes into each figure.
For fans of the Sailor Moon Twinkle Dollies new sets
are on their way, but you now have Puella Magica Madoka Magica Dollies. No word
yet on a release date, but characters that have been revealed are: Madoka, Homura,
Mami, and Bebe.
For the sports fans McFarlane isn’t the only game in
town for your collectibles. From Storm Collectibles come 2 of the greatest
boxers of all time: Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson 1:6 scale Action figures. Both come
with interchangeable heads, Mike Tyson comes with the various championship
belts that he has won throughout his career, and Ali has a detachable punching
bag. The sculpt on these is incredibly life like from facial expressions and
tattoos on Tyson. Their boxing trunks are cloth, but as far as the boxing gloves
I have no idea if they were the same type of material of regular boxing gloves
or just sculpts themselves.
Another 2 figures Storm Collectibles is releasing which
I found very surprising are the Hulk Hogan figures. Featuring Hollywood Hulk
Hogan when he turned heel in WCW and formed the N.W.O., and Classic Hulkster in
his original yellow trunks. Both look amazing and highly detailed. The issue is
of course the recent incident involving Hulk Hogan and not only his sex tape,
but of course the racist remarks he made on said sex tape. Even though he sued
Gawker Media and won, WWE has since dropped him from their Hall of Fame; essentially
“fired” him from the company in terms of doing any type of promotional work for
them, and of course dropped all merchandise as it relates to him; which made it
surprising to see statues for him at Toy Fair. Of course they were more than
likely made prior to his controversial statements.
More toys that should come as to no surprise to anyone
were the line of Batman from Iron Studios and Iron Man figures. The Batman
statues I should say encompass a different Batman from either the movies or
comic books along with Joker and Harley Quinn. The Batman's featured were the
Michael Keaton Batman movie, Dark Knight Returns Batman, and Ben Affleck Batman
from Batman V Superman in both his regular costume and armored suit. Iron Man
was a mini armory featuring various armors like: Hulk Buster, Shape Changing
Armor, Iron Patriot, Bleeding Edge armor, and more. All articulate and look
amazing.
The folks at Good Smile Company are always great to
visit. They have a mini play-pen area for everyone to fiddle with various
versions of their toys and they always seem to have something new. This year
they released Link Breath of the Wild DX Edition; which was a chibi hooded Link
on horseback with sword in hand. More Legend of Zelda toys included Twilight
Princess versions of Link and Zelda which were both fully articulated; Link
comes with various weapons from the game like the master sword, bow, hookshot,
etc while Zelda comes with her trademark blade.
From Metroid Prime 3 a Samus
Aran prototype was displayed and of course it was not the final product, but
from what was displayed it still looked like something worth spending money on.
From the Metroid Other M series comes a Zero Suit Samus Aran statue with a
metroid floating next to her. It is a very highly detailed statue, awesome
pose, and great colors. For Overwatch fans comes tracer in chibi form with
trademark pistols and happy expression. Mei has been released as of now, and
soon Mercy will follow.
For more photos check out the Gallery
For more photos check out the Gallery
