Last month we covered the release of Mondo’s massive 1:6 scale Battle Cat. Now the company is showing off a rival Panthor at DesignerCon. Mondo posted a single picture of Skeletor riding the purple feline on Instagram. Much like the new Battle Cat, Panthor features multiple interchangeable heads and variations of the original Mattel toy’s armor.
I’d feel safe saying that when this figure is up for pre-order, Panthor will also include a 1:6 scale Skeletor. The one in the picture below looks a bit different than the version we saw for sale a while ago, at least as far as the head sculpt goes. The armor seems mostly the same but with a black color scheme instead of purple.
Panthor’s body will probably be identical to Battle Cats. We can see that the body armor/saddle is the same, but just in a different color. I’m okay with that. The heads are undoubtedly different, for sure. The release date appears to be this spring. So, the figures should be going up for pre-order soon.
Battle Cat sold out very quickly. The $499 figure measured 18″ long by 12″ tall. Mondo’s artists and designers also threw in a Cringer head and even a Cringer kitten figure. However, the little touches make the hefty price tag worth it. Panthor probably won’t have a kitten accessory, but he is getting a mantle with massive ram horns. Expect the price for Skeletor’s steed to be the same as Battle Cat’s.
Attendees could purchase a limited edition 1:6 scale Anti Eternia He-Man during the convention. The figure was going for $235 and was limited to only 1,500 pieces.
Hasbro is starting to dig deep into the Marvel catalog for Legends figures. Sadly, if you were a fan of certain X-Men characters like Stryfe or Vertigo, you’ll need to buy this $124.99 box set to bring them home. The X-Men Villains set, which will ship in May next year, includes Stryfe, Zero, Pretty Boy, Vertigo, and Random.
The figures, as is to be expected from the Marvel Legends series, are lite on accessories. Strive, Polaris, Vertigo, and Pretty Boy have two pairs of interchangeable hands. Pretty boy comes with two pistols and firing/smoke effects. Zero comes with a large warp portal effects piece. Oddly, we don’t get an alternate “reveal” head for Stryfe.
Stryfe and Random showed up in Toy Biz’s long-running X-MEN line of action figures from the ’90s. What was Stryfe’s play feature? His gigantic helmet rolled up to reveal that the mutant was a clone of Cable. Aside from having the typical superhuman attributes found in many characters from that era, Stryfe also had psionic powers. However, these things are a bit difficult to show in a toy unless they’re physical manifestations of weapons. Instead, the original toy came with a giant mace. He can still be picked up on a card for less than $20 on eBay. Random fared a little better. His figure came out in 1994 when the Toy Biz line was getting more detailed and less cheap looking. His play feature was just a spring-loaded arm cannon.
HasbroHasbroHasbro
Heroes are only as good as their adversaries and in their 60-year history, the X-Men have faced some of the fiercest foes in comics.
X-MEN VILLAINS TAKE OVER MARVEL LEGENDS: Heroes are only as good as their adversaries and in their 60-year history, the X-Men have faced some of the fiercest foes in comics
X-MEN-INSPIRED: These Marvel’s Random, Marvel’s Pretty Boy, Marvel’s Vertigo, Marvel’s Stryfe, & Marvel’s Zero Hasbro Marvel Legends action figures are inspired by the characters’ appearances in X-Men comics
COMIC-INSPIRED ACCESSORIES: These X-Men action figures come with 15 accessories, including alternate hands, a warp portal, blasters, and blaster effect accessories.
What other rarely-seen X-MEN baddies would you like to see appear in the Marvel Legends line? Let us know below.
I was on the fence regarding Mezco’s 5 Points series. So far, nothing really caught my eye. Well, that was until this morning when I saw that the series was going to release a Godzilla VS Mechagodzilla boxset that also included King Caesar! That’s how you get my money! Coming next Summer, the $65 box set consists of the three main kaiju from Jun Fukuda’s 1974 film and several FX parts to recreate several iconic battles. Sadly, Anguirus sits this one out, but Mechagodzilla makes up by coming with several accessories!
Mezco does not list how tall these figures are, but after checking out some reviews, they appear to be slightly larger than the typical 3.75″ action figure size and closer to the 1:12 scale. There are no diorama pieces included in this set, just Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, and King Caesar. If you’re looking for a set that comes with some small buildings, check out the Godzilla VS Hedorah set from earlier this year.
MezcoMezcoMezcoMezcoMezcoMezcoMezcoMezco
Intent on taking over the planet and stopping Godzilla should he interfere, aliens build a mechanical version of the King of the Monsters. Realizing Mechagodzilla may be too strong to take on alone, humanity summons the legendary King Caesar to assist Godzilla in battle. This beastly box of behemoths can barely contain Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, and King Caesar – all with interchangeable head portraits and their own unique accessories!
Here’s a list of all the accessories in the boxset:
Two (2) Godzilla head portraits
Two (2) Mechagodzilla head portraits
Two (2) King Caesar head portraits
One (1) heat ray FX for Godzilla
Two (2) Space Beam FX for Mechagodzilla
One (1) Cross Attack Beam FX for Mechagodzilla
Two (2) interchangeable Finger Missile hands for Mechagodzilla
One (1) Prism Eye FX for King Caesar
Three (3) display bases
What do you think of Mezco’s latest 5 Points set? Let us know in the comments section below.
No sooner was Star Trek: The Motion Picture‘s Admiral Kirk available for pre-order was he sold out. I’d been keeping my eye on EXO-6’s site all launch day, and somehow, between refreshes, James T. Kirk in his ’70s spaceware came and went. If Kirk were still available, he would have cost $175 plus $25 in shipping.
The 1:6 scale version of Admiral Kirk was noticeably light on accessories. The figure only came with his accurately tailored Starfleet Admiral’s uniform, badge, boots, and bio-monitor. There’s no doubt that the artists at EXO-6 got this depiction of Kirk just as right as when he ventured on his first cinematic journey abroad, the newly refitted Enterprise 1701-A.
Thankfully, EXO-6 included a screen-accurate 1:1 delta badge from Fansets to compensate for the lack of phasers and other Star Trek technology. If Kirk again comes up for pre-order, we’ll update you here at Clownfish TV.
EXO-6EXO-6EXO-6EXO-6EXO-6EXO-6
Now The Captain that started it all makes his first appearance as an EXO-6 Museum Quality 1/6 scale collectible figure from EXO-6. Depicted in his formal Admiral’s uniform, we see Kirk in his first appearance in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, recreating the look he had as he beheld his true love, the Enterprise, in all her refitted beauty.
Fully Articulated Body: More than 30 points of articulation allow the figure to be displayed in multiple dynamic poses, approximately 30 cm tall.
Realistic Portrait: Kirk’s deep affection for the Enterprise is evident on the face of this figure. Lovingly rendered by a top artist, this excellent likeness of William Shatner as Kirk is specially hand-painted.
Starfleet Formal Admiral’s Uniform: Meticulously researched, this duty uniform matches the pattern and color of the original costume recreated in 1:6 scale. Debated for years, the color of this film costume comes as close as possible to the actual set used colors that appeared on screen as grey or green, depending on the lighting in the scene. An authentically scaled bio-monitor is permanently affixed to the belt area.
Boots: Soft plastic boots sculpted to match the cut and style of the original movie footwear.
Display Base: A hexagonal display base will provide additional support for the figure.
Would you have ordered Admiral Kirk if he were available? Let us know below!
DC Comics announced their new 2023 initiative which will tell stories of their flagship character while promising to highlight fan-favorite secondary characters.
“DC Comics is embarking on a yearlong storytelling initiative: Dawn of DC. Following the events of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and DC Universe: Lazarus Planet, the world’s superheroes have emerged from the biggest, most devastating battles of their lives and are reinvigorated in their fights against evil. With epic new storylines, over 20 exciting new titles, superstar creative teams, and villains that will push the heroes beyond their limits in bold adventures, this line-wide, multievent narrative initiative kicks off with January’s Action Comics #1051,” they said on their website.
New titles will feature characters such as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Doom Patrol, Superboy, Shazam, Steel, and a handful of others.
Dawn is coming.
2023 kicks off an epic yearlong adventure that will have DC’s greatest Super Heroes and Super-Villains step out of the shadows and into the light.
DC Comics chief creative officer Jim Lee said, “After the near-Multiverse-ending events in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and DC Universe: Lazarus Planet, the DC Universe will be heading toward the light.”
“With brand-new series and story arcs from some of the top creative members in comics, Dawn of DC is one of our most ambitious initiatives ever and is a chance for us to tell bigger and bolder stories across our line,” he added.
It is not just heroes who are getting the spotlight. Batman rogues like the Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and the Penguin will also play major roles in the new initiative.
“Dawn of DC is an easy entry point for both lifelong readers and those picking up a comic for the first time to dive into the new stories. Over 20 new comic titles will be launching throughout 2023,” DC explained.
“Dawn of DC” will officially launch in January 2023 with Superman leading the way in the aforementioned Action Comics #1051.
The character of Frank Bullitt was first seen in the 1968 film ‘Bullitt’ where the police detective faces the Chicago mob. He was originally played by ‘The Magnificent Seven’ actor Steve McQueen, is going to be revisited in an upcoming film directed by Steven Spielberg who has tapped ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star Bradley Cooper to take over the role.
Deadline reports, “Steven Spielberg looks to have found his Frank Bullitt as sources tell Deadline Bradley Cooper has closed a deal to play the no-nonsense San Francisco cop in the new original Bullitt story centered on the classic character famously played by Steven McQueen in the 1968 thriller, which is set up at Warner Bros. Cooper will also produce the pic along with Spielberg and his producing partner Kristie Macosko Krieger (marking their second collaboration after Maestro), with Josh Singer on board to pen the script. Steve McQueen’s son, Chad ,and granddaughter Molly McQueen will exec produce the new movie.”
Bradley Cooper has been cast as Frank Bullitt in Steven Spielberg’s next film.
The film will not be a remake but will instead be a new original Bullit story.
The movie is not intended to be a remake of ‘Bullitt,’ but will feature the character in an original story.
The 1968 action film ‘Bullitt’ follows the exploits of San Francisco Policeman Lt. Frank Bullitt, played by Steve McQueen. It is known for its iconic car chase scene featuring the character’s Ford Mustang racing a Dodge Charger. The film would win Best Film Editing at the 1969 Academy Awards and cemented McQueen’s status as a Hollywood star prior to death in 1980.
You can watch a clip from the car chase scene here:
McQueen’s production company Solar Productions and Warner Bros.-Seven Arts made the film with Philip D’Antoni producing the movie. It was directed by Peter Yates, who would go on to direct several acclaimed films.
It was based on the 1963 action novel ‘Mute Witness’ written by Robert L. Fish who was using the pseudonym Robert Pike at the time of publication. The screenplay for the movie was written by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner.
Attention all digital artists! Clownfish Studios is teaming up with Gaomon to give away a digital art tablet! One lucky winner will be drawn at random to receive a Gaomon PD156Pro Pen Display, a fantastic little unit that we reviewed here. How do you enter? Simply use the contest widget below to follow the Gaomon and Clownfish Studios social media accounts on the list!
Prize: GAOMON PD156Pro Pen Display * 1 ( If the winner has purchased a PD156Pro before 11/30/2022, such as the upcoming Black Friday, please provide the PD156Pro order number and GAOMON will refund in full the product cost!)
Shipping and Tax: GAOMON will bear shipping cost. The winner will need pay the custom tax.
Everyone gets multiple chances to win, and a winner will be drawn at random from eligible entries. Winner will be contacted via e-mail so we can obtain shipping address.
We currently only can ship to the following countries:
United States, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Ireland, Bulgaria, Portugal, Austria, United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania, Ukraine, Croatia
Contest ends on 12/02/2022. Open to entrants 18+ in the countries listed above. No purchase necessary to win. Entrants will be bound by this site’s Privacy Policy and the terms and conditions of various social media platforms. Void where prohibited. Good luck!
The RPG video game ‘The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel’ from developer Nihon Falcom is getting an anime adaption. The Japanese production company Tatsunoko Production and director Hidekazu Sato is producing the series set to be released in January 2023. Subtitled “Northern War,” Shoji Hara is handling the character designs.
Anime News Network revealed the Japanese cast list:
Lavian Winslet (voiced by Makoto Koichi)
Martin S. Robinson (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura)
Iseria Frost (voiced by Sarah Emi Bridcutt)
Talion Drake (voiced by Yuuki Ono)
Rean Schwarzer (voice by Koki Uchiyama)
Altina Orion (voiced by Inori Minase)
Glark Grommash (voice by Haruhiko Jo)
Jayna Storm (voiced by Mie Sonozaki)
Uchiyama said in a press release, “It blows my mind to think that it’s been about ten years since the first Trails of Cold Steel game was released. Time goes by so quickly. I was also incredibly curious to see how Rean would fit into this anime adaptation of the Trails of Cold Steel series. Please look forward to next year’s broadcast.”
You can watch the teaser below:
Wikipedia describes the show’s synopsis as follows,
“The anime follows Lavian Winslet, a girl born in North Ambria, a poor country located in the northwest of Zemurian continent. She enlists in the Northern Jaegers, the largest mercenary corps in Zemuria to protect her hometown, while distinguishing herself from her grandfather, Vlad, the renounced hero who betrayed their country. Prior to the start of the anime, Lavian assembles a platoon with Martin S. Robinson, Iseria Frost and Talion Drake for a secret mission to Erebonia, an imperialistic country to the south, to gather information about the “Imperial Hero” whose existence spells a national threat to their country.”
The first ‘The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel’ was released in 2013 with a sequel being released in 2014.
‘Himouto! Umaru-chan’ a slice-of-life comedy manga created by Sankaku Head and published by the Tokyo-based publisher Shueisha between 2013 and 2018. The Japanese anime studio Doga Kobo picked up the series for an anime adaptation in 2015 with a second season titled ‘Himouto Umaru-chan R’ being released in 2017. HiDive announced that they had acquired the license to stream it in North America with an English dub.
“Himouto Umaru-chan R is getting a dub? It’s about time; why did it take so long, anyway? There were plenty of behind-the-scenes reasons, but we never gave up on the idea of dubbing the second season one day. That day has finally arrived, and to make it up to all of you for waiting this long, we’re releasing the English dub for ALL 12 episodes,” they said on their website.
They also released the cast list:
Umaru Doma – Emily Neves
Taihei Doma – Adam Noble
Kirie Motoba – Jad Saxton
Sylphynford Tachibana – Christina Kelly
Nana Ebina- Sara Ornelas
Alex – Scott Gibbs
Bomber- Jason Douglas
Hikari – Kira Vincent-Davis
Ms. Kanau – Maggie Flecknoe
Vice Principal – Kyle Colby Jones
Kyle Colby Jones works as both the ADR director and script writer for the dub.
“Umaru Doma is a model student who has a hidden side: when she gets home each day, she puts on her hamster hoodie and turns into a sluggish otaku fond of junk food. As Umaru continues these daily antics, the friendship between her and her classmates—Nana Ebina, Kirie Motoba, and Sylphinford Tachibana—deepens, and more and more interesting events begin to unfold.
Of course, these events give rise to numerous questions. What did Nana ask of Umaru’s brother Taihei? Who is the mysterious girl with the diamond hairpin? And most important of all: why does this girl seem to know Umaru? These questions and more will be answered in Himouto! Umaru-chan R!”
‘Himōto! Umaru-chan’ also received a video game in 2015 developed by FuRyu for the Playstation Vita.
It’s tough to follow up a successful game release with a competent sequel that builds upon what came before. Not every game series can do so in a way that introduces new elements while evolving its core foundation. Luckily for God of War fans eager to see the next chapter of Kratos’ story, God of War Ragnarök is an epic home run. Not only is it a fun game to play, but it tells a story that will keep you wanting to see more of the nine realms and a father and son interact with this mythical universe.
Something important to know is that you should play the previous God of War game to really appreciate everything that happens within this story. While it’s not necessary to do so, many plot points will hit harder and clever call-backs will be understood more if you do so. Luckily, you have a recap you can see in the main menu, which summarizes the biggest parts of the previous game. It doesn’t give you everything, but only what is necessary to get you up to speed. However, if you go into Ragnarok with fresh eyes never having played the first game, you can still enjoy everything it gives you.
The story of God of War Ragnarök is the star of this show, with the relationship between Kratos and his son Atreus being the glue that pulls everything together. Getting to see more of the nine realms that were teased in the first game is a big step up, but it’s the interactions and dialogue between these characters that make going to these places all the more interesting. With Atreus growing older and reaching adolescence, much of the dynamic between him, Kratos, and many of the other characters have changed. It’s a coming-of-age story for the young man as much as it is a stage set for Ragnarok and the fall of Asgard.
But that doesn’t mean Kratos takes a side step to his son, nor any other character in God of War Ragnarök. This is still very much a story about Kratos and his time within Midgar and the nine realms. Our Greek warrior has come a long way, facing many hardships and trials that continue to test him. He’s still a vicious powerhouse in combat with a stoic demeanor and blunt attitude but ends up showing more cracks in his emotional armor as the story progresses.
We don’t just see a warrior facing a looming destiny, but a father who has to live up to the promises he made to his late wife, and a parent coming to terms with their child growing up. Not everyone who plays through this story will know what it’s like to be a parent, but the weight of emotions and reactions we see from Kratos in different moments is tangible, enough to make anyone sympathize and understand the importance of everything.
As much as the story and its characters are top-notch, so too is the gameplay. Exploring the realms is similar to the first game, but with more ground to cover and even more, challenges to overcome. The visuals are beautiful, with a scale that makes every place you visit feel adventurous and mythic. Outside of the main questline that takes you through the plot of God of War Ragnarök, each realm has an assortment of side quests and optional tasks that will test you and reward you generously.
What’s interesting is how various parts of Norse mythology are intertwined with many of these parts of the game, building up the universe even further than the previous game. You not only get more insight into many of the main characters but their backstories before the game as well. A lot of the conversations between characters during quests often give a lot of personality and humor to everything as well, with a few quirks that will stand out in more ways than one.
The combat is fast-paced and smooth, allowing you to take down groups of enemies and giant foes with an arsenal of weapons and abilities. You control Kratos like before, but Ragnarök opens things further by putting you in control of Atreus at certain points of the main story. Kratos is the blunt instrument with powerful attacks, while Atreus is fast and nimble utilizing ranged combat with his bow. He can even use spells on his arrows that afflict status elements on enemies, allowing him and Kratos to take down enemies with ease. For some people it might be weird using Atreus in combat at first but quickly will make become natural after learning how to alternate between melee and ranged combat. It’s definitely a variation on how you normally fight with Kratos, but offers a lot cleverer possibilities for how to approach combat.
Like before, you can equip various armor and pieces to Kratos’ weapons he finds throughout the game. Powering up the Blades of Chaos or Battle Axe can take some time, however, as the materials needed to boost them up require you to finish tougher quests. A lot of this will come as you complete more of the main story, but is not frequent unless you’re finishing optional content that gives you good rewards. Some side quests have very tough enemies that will really test your patience if you approach them unprepared, but can be brought down with some finesse, especially if you completed other quests to power up beforehand.
Along the way, you can gain new weapons like a Spear and powerful sword if you decide to go the extra mile and finish a few tedious side quests across the realms. New weapons give Kratos new abilities and moves that can help in combat or open new areas to explore. At the start, you won’t be able to visit everywhere within a realm until you come back with new abilities to open new locations up. You’ll definitely want to go back to other realms and see what you can discover with extra powers you unlock, opening new challenges and yielding some great rewards.
Traversing through the realms in God of War Ragnarök is a fun time, especially when you revisit locations from the first game and see how much has changed. Where once there was a giant river to ride a boat through now is a massive frozen lake to run across, with new challenges and secrets to uncover. Later portions of the story offer different transportation that mixes things up, such as riding wolves or a magical boat that takes you across the sky.
Finding all of the optional quests to complete and their rewards will definitely take some time, leading to a play time that could reach beyond 60 hours or more if you decide to complete everything. But if you only plan on going through the main story alone with little side content, then you can still expect to spend around 25 to 30 hours of game time. Does any of that time end up becoming too much of a drag? Only if you decide to stop and take in the sights of the realm around you because the rest of it is exciting and a spectacle to experience.
God of War Ragnarök is an epic game with great moments, smooth combat, and a fantastic presentation on the PlayStation 5. If you were hoping for a solid follow-up to the previous game, you’ll be happy to see everything come together in the best way possible. The next chapter for Kratos and his son take their story to a whole new level of epic and sets up what could be a very interesting future for the series.
What are your thoughts about God of War Ragnarök? Are you a fan of the series and want to see more of this universe? Post down below in the comment section and tell us your thoughts about it!
