Hot Toys has revealed the first limited edition collectible figure from the upcoming superhero movie The Avengers. Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., features the authorized likeness of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. This sixth-scale piece is slated to be released in Q2 of 2012.
Accessories include:
• 8 interchangeable gloved hands
• Pistol
• Rocket gun
• Headset
• Silver suitcase with light-up Tesseract (Cosmic Cube) and patterns inside (battery operated)
• Figure stand with Nick Fury nameplate and the movie logo
While we already recognized some of our favorite new toy lines of 2011, there's still our overall toy lines to go over. So here are five toy lines that
5. Uglydolls (Pretty Ugly)
In addition to the popular Uglydoll plushies, Pretty Ugly released Series 3 of their Uglydoll Action Figure vinyls. Plus, there were the Lucky Uckys and a vinyl collaboration with Funko. And 2011 was one of Pretty Ugly's biggest in terms of apparel.
4. Glyos System Series (Onell Design)
The introduction of the Glyan character highlighted Onell's Glyos line in 2011. There were customizers and artists who added their own spin on the Glyos System...plus various collaborations with companies like Real x Head.
3. Iron Man (Hot Toys)
One of Hot Toys' most popular lines of 2011 was their Iron Man license. Makes sense with the release of Iron Man 2 was released the year before. In addition to the bust shown above, there were a number of new sixth-scale figures released from the film (Whiplash, War Machine, Iron Man, Black Widow).
2. WWRp (3A Toys)
Ashley Wood's World War Robot Portable line is a little smaller than the non-portable version. That means it's a little smaller hit to the wallet when purchasing one of them. Nonetheless, 3A Toys puts the same quality and care into these smaller pieces.
**WINNER**
1. Sixth-Scale Star Wars (Sideshow Collectibles)
Sideshow really stepped up their game with the sixth-scale Star Wars license. Rather than the army of Clone Troopers that we've seen over the past few years, Sideshow released a treasure trove of new Star Wars characters with unique body/face sculpts.
Amanda Visell has released four new custom painted 17-inch Topsy Turvy Crocs. The 6 Eyed Croc, Argodile, Stripelberry, and Crocogile are each limited to one piece. These wood, hand-crafted pieces can be purchased for $1,000.00 each.
Jason Freeny has finished up work on his latest dissection. If Kewpies weren't creepy enough, this 22" tall Anatomical Kewpie Sculpt might give you some nightmares.
Tony Gil, an artist/designer based out of San Jose, has completed work on his latest custom. Named the Diamond Ninja War Machines, these hand sculpted and hand painted pieces use what appears to be Munnys and Bent World figures. Limited to only three pieces, you can purchase on for $200.00 at giltstudios.bigcartel.com.
The Loyal Subjects have announced the newest vinyl from Gary Baseman. The Buckingham Warrior - Wolyner Forest Warrior "boasts several points of articulation, accessories and the rich color palette that is signature to Gary Baseman".
The Buckingham Warrior will be released on Wednesday February 22nd 2012 at Noon PST. This edition of 400 pieces will sell for $115.00 each.
Even though we saw a number of toy releases in 2011 that we loved...there were a few disappointments. Here are five of those that disappointed us...for various reason:
5. MINDstyle's NBA Vinyl Line (MINDstyle)
The rise and fall of MINDstyle in the designer toy scene was quick. But the NBA line designed by CoolRain looks an awful lot like a Michael Lau or Eric So figure.
4. Smell Me Marshalls (64 Colors - Rotofugi)
The lone disappointment with the Smell Me Marshall scented vinyls is that they lose their smell within a few days of being opened. Since that's the main attraction of the line, it's a little disappointing.
3. 4-LOM (Medicom)
The colors on Medicom's 4-LOM figure just seem a little off. But it might not be that bad if this figure didn't run just under $250.00.
2. Yankee Pig Dog Labbit (Kidrobot)
Apparently, Kidrobot received a number of poorly produced Yankee Pig Dog Labbits...so instead of getting them reproduced to the company's standards, they lowered the price by 31%.
**WINNER**
1. The Walking Dead (McFarlane Toys)
One of my most anticipated lines of the year was McFarlane's The Walking Dead (both the television and comic book series). Unfortunately, it looks like these were sculpted as traditional McFarlane statues...and the articulation was added later (just look at the legs above).
There are a number of artists, customizers and sculptors who take Onell Design's Glyos universe and expand upon it. Whether they create new Glyos-compatible parts/figures or complementary characters, it's one of the more collaborative communities in the designer toy realm.
One of those artists is Ni, from NiStuff.com and 481 Universe. He has released a six figure series of Glyos style figures that go by the name of the Anomalies. While they aren't compatible with the interlocking joint system of Onell's figures, we'll show you just how they complement them.
The Facts
Anomalies Series: Anomalies Minifigure Series Manufacturer: 481 Universe Artist/Sculpted by: Ni (NiStuff.com) Material: PVC Dimensions: Between 2” and 3.25” tall Points of Articulation: Zero Designs: Adaman; Ancient Astronaut; Laion; SEG; Slir; Strugg Pricing: $15.00 set of 6
Packaging
The six Anomalies comes bagged with a header card. The header card has one of six different illustrations by artist Cpresti. The card is actually a sticker, so it's easy to peel it back, take out the toys, and then re-stick it.
Our Opinion
The Anomalies figures are actually produced at the same factory that manufactures Onell Design's Glyos figures. So they are made of the same PVC material, making them fit in perfectly (they smell just like them too).
The sculpting on the Anomalies is interesting. Even though there are similarities between the six characters, they're all unique. The Ancient Astronaut is a chunky sculpt that reminds me a little of Samus of Metroid fame. Adaman, the smallest figure, has a steampunk feel to it. The Strugg might be the closest to resembling a Glyos figure – just check out the leg and foot. Laion is the tallest figure and looks like he'd fit in perfectly with the old Mars-1 Invisible Plan mini-figures. SEG Construct looks like it's made up on a thousand little bricks. And, finally, Slir looks to be constructed of long strands of clay.
Each Anomaly is sculpted really well, especially for being so small. This version doesn't have any paintwork or washes on the PVC figures, although I'm sure you could give it a shot yourself.
Overall, I really like the series. It's a good thing when fans and collectors feel such a connection to a line that they sculpt and create an expanded universe of new toys and characters. Ni (through his NiStuff and 481 Universe) has really thrown down the gauntlet for other Glyos fans and customizers.
Six figures for the total price of $15.00 is a great deal ($2.50 each). Plus, Ni throws in a free Glyos compatible Subject head that you can swap onto any of your Onell mini figures.
Today (Monday February 20th 2012) at 8:00PM EST, 481 Universe will be adding a number of new figures to their store page. If you're a fan of the Glyos series, you'll definitely want to check out these...it looks like some customs plus Anomalies.
**A bit of warning though, this is one of the more photo intensive drops that we’ve done so be sure to refresh the store page and scroll all the way down to see all the newly added figures.**
Alison Perez has released a new version of her Zukie collectables - "Zukie World in a Bottle". Carry your zukie anywhere you want for good luck. Each Zukie comes with a scroll that features a drawing of what that Zukie is thinking.
This is a limited edition of 15 pieces. The "Zukie World in a Bottle" will be on sale today (Monday February 20th 2012) via the Zukie store.
