Luke Brown

Since it launched, I've made no effort to hide my enthusiasm for Mezco's One:12 Collective. Mezco's been doing a fantastic job bringing characters from all reaches of fandom to collectors in a format we haven't seen done this well in the past. Though it could be argued the One:12 Collective line expanded way too fast from its start, that hasn't stopped collectors from snapping up new releases. Based on what we saw from Mezco at Toy Fair this year, that's unlikely to stop anytime soon heading into 2018.

You can always count on a number of surprises from NECA at Toy Fair, but this year, I don't think very many collectors could have expected the announcements the company unveiled. While new Predator and Alien toys are as expected, you never know what the mad geniuses at NECA might have in store for the likes of Evil Dead, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the other dozens of gaming and movie licenses it holds. All you can be sure about is that you will come away from the NECA booth ready to find a new source of income to pay for all the things you're going to need. Like the new Batman vs Aliens and Predator sets.

Let me tell you, friends, the things Lego has in store for 2017 are likely going to bankrupt me. We got an early look at the upcoming slate of building sets in the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars branches of Lego's release slate, and each area left us dreaming of homes with more display shelves than the library at Alexandria. Toy Fair 2017 was home to a lot of great toys, but nothing gets the creative and collecting juices flowing quite like Lego. Especially when they have some dope Batman sets.

Given that the Star Wars film franchise is between movies at the moment, it wasn't surprising to see Hasbro's offerings for the Star Wars Black series dialed back just a bit. The Last Jedi is still 10 months away, and with Force Friday II coming in September, it's going to be a few more months until we learn everything about this year's Star Wars Black plans. However, 2017 is the 40th anniversary of the celebrated sci-fi franchise, and Hasbro isn't letting that go unnoticed.

Before we all left to enjoy the weekend, DC Collectibles spoiled us with a number of preview images of its numerous Toy Fair reveals. Seeing new Justice League statues, DC Icons figures and more Batman: The Animated Series collectibles was great, but there's nothing like seeing them in person to really get the full effect. We soaked all the details in when we visited with DC Collectibles, and this year and beyond look to carry the momentum built up during the later half of 2016.

If you've been waiting to see what the first half-of the year is going to look like when it comes to Marvel Legends, look no further. Hasbro unleashed a hefty salvo of new figures and sets tied to Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and more at this year's Toy Fair. While Thor: Ragnarok was nowhere to be found, there are dozens of new figures planned to arrive already, so Marvel Legends fans of every size and scale will have plenty to look forward to in the coming months.

This year at Toy Fair, Mattel once again lifted the curtain on a number of new figures and collectibles based in the DC Universe. From the continuing DC Multiverse figure line, which mixes the comics, television and movie properties, to DC Super Hero Girls and Teen Titans Go!, there was little that Mattel showed that didn't elicit excitement from everyone in attendance. However, the biggest surprise was clearly the unveiling of the Wonder Woman DC Multiverse wave, which gave us our first clear look at the DC Cinematic Universe version of Ares.

Good gravy does DC Collectibles have a lot of new products its unveiling at Toy Fair 2017. Typically though the company waits until the event actually starts to unleash the flood gates, but hey, everyone else is spoiling collectors with an early look, so why not jump in on the fun now? Ahead of this weekend's event, DC Collectibles has dropped a bombshell of new images for statues and figures from the DC Icons line, the DC Bombshells line, the upcoming Justice League film, and a whole lot more. Want to see what's in store? What are you waiting for then; jump on in and feast your eyes.

Last year, Hasbro introduced a new level of collectible roleplay gear into the Marvel Legends brand. Since Captain America: Civil War was the Marvel Studios movie of the moment, the line kicked off with a replica Captain America shield and an electronic Iron Man helmet for (most) adult heads. These premium items were more than a few steps above what Hasbro had traditionally released for kids, and in 2017, even more gear is on the way. Coming this summer will be an electronic Star-Lord helmet and an electronic Mjolnir just like Thor wields. Ahead of Toy Fair 2017, Hasbro offered up a peek at the new items we'll be jockeying to try on at this weekend's big toy event.

"There can be only one." It's a catch phrase that immediately calls back to one singular franchise, The Highlander. Though the film and television series both came to a rather unspectacular close way, way back, they both revealed the best way to tell new Highlander stories was to set them all in the past. Good thing that's exactly what IDW is planning to do with its new series, Highlander: The American Dream.