Toys

Baby Groot may be in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 for really real reasons that are super important to the plot and not at all as a ploy to sell adorable toys, but that doesn't mean the pint-sized version of the hero can't have it both ways. Though much of merchandising plan for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 remains a secret, we have seen some of the toys we can expect to hit shelves this spring and beyond. Baby Groot may have been absent from those initial reveals, but just ahead of the holiday, NECA is here to assure us Baby Groot won't be forgotten.

As expected, K-2SO was indeed announced as the next figure in the Hot Toys Star Wars: Rogue One collection. The former Imperial droid now joins several types of Stormtroopers and Deathtroopers, Jyn Erso and Chirrut Imwe, in the rapidly expanding line, which will only continue to grow in the coming weeks and months. We already know there are several other human characters planned, as well as some more Empire forces, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Right now the focus should be on K-2SO, who will hope to join the short list of memorable droids in Star Wars movies.

There's a new Star Wars movie just days away, and the lead-in to the film has already loosed dozens and dozens of new collectibles on the market. While you can be like every other person on the planet and buy some Rogue One action figures or t-shirts, why not try to one-up the rest of the collecting community by getting your very own 12'-tall AT-ACT? That's a baller move if I ever heard of one, and I have heard about a lot of baller moves.

Though he might not get the headlines like Joker or invite as much interest as Catwoman, Mr. Freeze is easily one of Batman's most fascinating rogues. The character's been the focus of some of the best episodes of the animated series, at the center of some of the best video game missions, and has had some rather amazing designs over the years. With its latest Batman: Rogues Gallery figure, Square Enix turns its eyes to the often overlooked villain, and gives him a new look that's quite remarkable.

The comic world has been abuzz with new trailers for Spider-Man Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, both of which arrived at a time when we needed a little bit of delightful superhero humor. Following those reveals, Hasbro has been on a bit of an announcement tear itself, showing off new toys tied to the upcoming Marvel movies. We've actually seen a few of these latest Guardians of the Galaxy toys throughout the year, but the line-up for the first GotG, Vol. 2 wave is now officially locked in with a solid mix.

No sooner did we get our first official trailer for Spider-Man Homecoming did Hasbro roll out the first action figure from the upcoming Sony/Marvel Studios team-up. Spider-Man already got his debut in a special Marvel Legends Captain America: Civil War set with Iron Man and Captain America, so instead of just rehashing a new version of him (which will likely happen anyway), we're getting our first good look at the new Vulture from the rebooted franchise.

Finally, after numerous Stormtroopers and Deathtroopers, we have our new Star Wars protagonist getting her own Hot Toys figure. Now obviously it's easy for Hot Toys to churn out some Imperial soldiers given that they use the same basic model from the original trilogy that they're using in the upcoming anthology prequel, and it takes a little bit more time to work out the nuances of an actual human being. The wait was very much worth it though, as the Jyn Erso figure is pretty damn remarkable.

While we here at ComicsAlliance are well aware the Power Rangers never stopped being cool, next year is when everyone else will realize the very same following the release of the upcoming big-screen adaptation of everyone's favorite teenagers with attitude. With nostalgia for the Rangers set to reach an all-time high, Funko is going all in on the classic Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series with several new lines dedicated to the show.

If you know someone who has succumbed to the cult of Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye, whether they're a new convert or a long-time fan, we've put together a gift guide to some of the best of these toy robots, and other merchandise featuring them, so they can let the whole world know how they feel about Transformer.

For the most part, Iron Man collectibles released in the time since the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked the doors open on Iron Man fandom have been focused on the armored Avenger's silver screen persona. Comic and animated versions of the character have popped up, but by far the Hall of Armor from the films has hogged the spotlight. That's why it's genuinely exciting to see a whole new interpretation brought into the fold among the litany of repetitive Stark designs.