SH Figuarts

Though it may be a little behind the theatrical release of Doctor Strange's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, SH Figuarts won't be too far off from the home video release with its newest action figure. Then again, SH Figuarts is often just a tad bit beyond the curve when it comes to timeliness in action figure releases. When the figures are as impressive as the typical Figuarts release is though, the wait is more than worth it. That looks to hold true here for Doctor Strange as well.

If you thought the SH Figuarts Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated figure set was ending with all four turtles, you couldn't have been more wrong. The evil Shredder made his full color debut at San Diego Comic-Con, and he looks just as perfect as the sewer-shredding do-gooders. It's amazing how well the animated show has translated to the SH Figuarts line from Tamashii Nations, and if these five figures are as successful as they're likely to be, there's a chance we could see the likes of Casey Jones, April and even a Krang (in the Robot body obviously). A guy can dream, right? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles weren't the only incredible Figuarts toys on display at SDCC, however, and there are plenty of other reasons to look forward to Tamashii's presence in 2017. Namely, all the fantastic DC and WWE Figuarts that debuted last weekend.

If you can sense that feeling of excitement, panic and salt in the air, you know San Diego Comic-Con is near. There's just something about this annual gathering of fans, creators, actors and cosplayers that makes the summer that much more special. Oh right, it's all the toys. In addition to being host to all manner of awesome announcements, reveals, teasers and trailers, SDCC is also one of the biggest collectible events of the year. Every company big and small rolls out their best and most limited in the hopes of capturing your attention and those dollar dollar bills, y'all. Collected here for you is a comprehensive list of not just what will be available, but where it will be available, and how much it will cost you (where prices have been provided). This is every comic book-related toy and collectible exclusive for San Diego Comic-Con 2016.

If you're even tangentially into anime or tokusatsu, then you're probably already familiar with SH Figuarts, the high-end line of action figures from Bandai and Tamashii Nations, but if you're not, let me tell you how much I love them. They've been around for a few years now, and with their dedication to high levels of articulation, screen-accurate sculpts and an incredible amount of interchangeable hands, faces, and accessories, they're arguably some of the best action figures you can get --- and since most of their output has to do with Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Sailor Moon, I'm always keeping an eye out for their next big release. And now, it looks like I've got to clear off another shelf. This December, as part of what I can only assume is a mission to target me, specifically, they're releasing the first two entries in a line based on late '90s WWE Superstars, starting with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock. And yes: Austin comes with a beadazzled skull vest and a couple of Stevewiesers.

There have been a lot of Iron Man figures released since the armored Avenger launched Marvel's Cinematic Universe into the stratosphere. Strangely, there haven't been many Tony Starks released. Granted the guy hasn't changed all that much, save for his goatee styling, but you'd think there'd be more than just a few figures of the man behind the machined mask released over the past eight years. In fact, if it wasn't for Hot Toys, that number of plain clothes Tonys would be all but null. But not for long, thanks to SH Figuarts. Finally, three years after Iron Man 3 hit theaters, the Japanese company will be bringing the test chamber version of Tony Stark to shelves. There are a number of different memorable looks from all the Iron Man movies, like Monte Carlo Racetrack Tony, Rose Hill Cowboy Tony, Bootleg Hoodie Iron Man Tony, but the test chamber version is still a solid choice. Hell, I have the Hot Toys version, and I might double down on this one because I like the idea of that "in progress" armor so much.

After 65 movies, Black Widow is finally getting her own SH Figuarts figure. Tamashii Nations has been teasing the addition of the SHIELD super-spy for some time now, but with the coming and going of Avengers: Age of Ultron in theaters and home video, it seemed like the best shot she had was with the upcoming Captain America: Civil War line. Fear not though, as the version from last year's big Marvel mash-up will get her due overseas this summer. That should put her on pace to arrive in the states just in time for the Blu-ray release of Civil War. Progress. To be honest, this figure actually looks like the wait may have been worth it. It's highly articulated, and actually looks something like Scarlett Johansson. That's more than we can say for the "Chris Evans" Captain America SH Figuarts has on deck for this year. There's a lot of great detail in the costuming, too, which is to be expected from Tamashii's offerings. Nothing against Hasbro's budget-friendly and hard-to-find Marvel Legends AOU Black Widow, but this figure might be the definitive 6" version of Natasha Romanova.

Ant-Man hasn't been a major fixture of the Captain America: Civil War promotion, but we've known he was going to be in the film ever since Falcon teased his imminent arrival with a post-credit blurb. Interestingly enough, there might be certain story reasons that Ant-Man's been absent from a lot of the toy line attention to this point, but we won't spoil that here today. No, instead, we're just going to take a look at the updated Ant-Man suit the character is apparently donning in the film. Tamashii Nations' SH Figuarts Captain America: Civil War line already has its two biggest guns up for pre-order, but for the third character in the series, the company went with arguably the least well-known hero of the bunch. The SH Figuarts Ant-Man beats characters like Black Widow and Falcon to release, but that's sort of okay with us. It would be nice to get that Black Widow Figuarts after like sixty movies. Ant-Man doesn't exactly have a million toys exploding off of shelves either, but at least this time we know a Black Widow is almost definitely, probably, assuredly coming and not just a pipe dream. But hey, Ant-Man!

Longtime ComicsAlliance readers might recall that among my many weaknesses is an inability to resist buying high-end Japanese action figures of some of my favorite heroes, particularly the Bandai/Tamashii Nations SH Figuarts Line. They're just so great, and while the figures themselves are always awesome, with plenty of articulation and screen-accurate details, it's the accessories that really make it. Weapons, interchangeable hands, even extra faces have all convinced me to drop way too much money on action figures in the past. But now, they've topped themselves. This summer, they're putting out a set honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Ultraman TV show, featuring a new Ultraman figure and the single best accessory ever: A tiny little city street that he can demolish while fighting with his alien opponents.

There's a new Marvel movie on the horizon, and with that will come a wealth of new action figures based on the successful cinematic universe. Tamashii Nations' SH Figuarts line has been home to a number of the Avengers over the years, but the new Captain America: Civil War line will mark the first time we'll be seeing any of the female heroes join the cast. We've gotten a few Captain Americas and Iron Mans, and a Thor, Hulk and Hulkbuster to boot, but so far Tamashii has been a little light on the ladies. Black Widow was actually teased and shown off in prototype form for the Age of Ultron set (as was Hawkeye), but here we are with no Black Widow (or Hawkeye) to show for it. Hopefully that changes with the upcoming Civil War line, which Tamashii is already hyping to include not just Black Widow, but also Agent 13 (Sharon Carter), as well as Black Panther, Hawkeye, Falcon, Vision, War Machine and Winter Soldier. Yeah, Iron Man and Captain America will be part of the new series, too, but haven't we seen enough of them? Let's celebrate all the these new guys and girls finally joining the fight.

Aside from BB-8, the most-wanted action figure/collectible for Star Wars fans this season has to be anything Captain Phasma. A bit of that desirability comes from how rare the figure has been at retail, as both the Disney Elite, Hasbro Black Series and the Hasbro 3.75" versions have all be very hard to get your hands on. That of course springs from the character's mysterious nature and kick-ass costume. Also, she's played by Gwendoline Christie, making Phasma immediately one of the most bad-ass characters in Star Wars canon. And she hasn't uttered a single word yet. Phasma is basically the Boba Fett of The Force Awakens from a collector's standpoint. As difficult as it's been to track down the current crop of collectibles, you can believe that the upcoming SH Figuarts Captain Phasma will be equally as hot when it hits the market. It's a bit of a challenge to get Figuarts figures here in the States already, but when you add in the fervor around this character, it starts to shape up into a perfect storm of impossible odds. That is, if you hope to pay normal, human prices, and not the "time to sell a kidney" prices the second-hand market often deems as "fair" and "reasonable."