The arrival of my first Heroes of the DC Universe minibust – The Flash – gave me the opportunity to set up another category in the Photo Reviews section. Of course now I need to go back and fill in the blanks (ie, the other six busts from the line), but in the meantime enjoy pics of The Flash by DC Direct!

Photo Review – Heroes of the DC Universe Flash Minibust

When Hot Toys announced that they would be adding the Alien and Predator licenses to their 12″ Movie Masterpiece Series, you could practically hear the giggles of glee across the collecting world. Being an Alien fan since the tender age of six, I was among those that nearly dropped a pound of pudding in my pants when I heard the news. Of course my first question – and the question of others in my shoes – was…“When are we going to see the original Alien in this format? Three years and over a dozen figures later, Hot Toys has made it a reality. And my friends…it was worth the wait.

Review – Hot Toys 14″ Alien (Big Chap)

DST has showed off the new packaging for the upcoming Iron Man 2 Minimates, due to hit stores soon. Check the link for pics of all four sets.

Iron Man 2 Minimates Packaging

McFarlane’s 4″ Playmakers figures – smaller, articulated versions of your favorite MLB players – are set to hit retailers in March. In the meantime, McF has offered packaged shots of all 21 figures due in the first series. Yes…21 figures in one series (completists, beware).

McFarlane Playmakers in-package photos

“Fans have spoken,” and as a result McFarlane Toys is returning to the clamshell packaging that they recently abandoned. According to McFarlane, fans requested the return to clamshells for safer shipment of their “collectible” (which I guess now means “worthless in a year”) figures. I usually keep the editorials out of my news posts, but I have to comment on this one. In a day where society has a greater focus than ever on the environment (and for good reason), McFarlane is taking a step backwards by going back to the clunky, wasteful clamshells. It’s a poor move in so many ways – from a waste standpoint, from a cost stand point and from a PR standpoint (a point that a struggling company certainly should have considered before making the decision). My opinion aside, feel free to check out the new packaging samples at the McFarlane site.

McFarlane Sportspicks New Clamshell Packaging

The first statue issued for DC Direct’s Cover Girls of the DC Universe line is the last of four added to the Photo Reviews section. Click the link to check out Wonder Woman!

Photo Review – Cover Girls of the DC Univese Wonder Woman

Kotobukiya announces a new line of figures based on the game Lost Planet 2. Due this spring, these 5 1/2″ figures are fully articulated and mimic the appearance of the video game characters perfectly. Koto is working directly with Capcom on the project and the feedback has been sensational. Read on for more details and a slew of images. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Michael Crawford at Captain Toy has concluded his annual Poppies Awards, a series of awards featuring the best action figures of 2009 as voted by a panel of collectors and site visitors. Some of the winners will come as no surprise to you, but there are some great showcases and good comments by some of the panel members.

MWCToys 2009 Poppies Results

NECA is expanding their Bioshock 2 license to include prop replicas. Available now in stores are the Big Daddy Bouncer Doll and Eve Hypo replicas. Click through to check them out.

NECA Bioshock 2 Prop Replicas

Sideshow is following up their Patient Zero Premium Format figure with another of the walking dead, the Undying Carcass Premium Format. This goes up for preorder on Friday the 12th, but here’s a preview in the meantime.

Sideshow The Dead ‘Undying Carcass’ Premium Format Preview

Sideshow Collectibles has announced the next character to be added to their Comiquette line, the Daredevil nemesis Bullseye. This statue will be up for preorder next Thursday, but in the meantime check out the preview below.

Sideshow Bullseye Comiquette Preview

Mattel has issued a statement about some changes coming to the once-February 15th sale date. For starters, the sale date has been moved back to the following day, Tuesday, February 16th. Subscription collectors waiting for Wun-Dar will now have to wait another two months, as the shipping has been pushed back to April 15th. Some good news though – Club Eternia subscribers will be given a coupon for $8.00 off the Battle Cat beast! That’s it in a nutshell, but you can visit the link below to see more details.

Review – Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Armor He-Man

Throwing back to one of the He-Man variations of old, Mattel released Battle Armor He-Man as the bonus figure for January 2010. Read on for the full review…

Review – Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Armor He-Man

I passed on the Joker as Gotham City Thug figure when it first came available, but I figured I had to order something else with Skeletor this last week so I added one to my order. Rather than do a full review I’ve added him and a few other Movie Masters figure to the Photo Reviews section. Click the link to give it a look!

Photo Review – The Joker as Gotham City Thug

I’ve added a full image gallery of the Masters of the Universe Skeletor figure to the Photo Reviews section today. Click the link below to check it out.

Photo Review – Masters of the Universe Classics Skeletor