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Here are Toy Fair 2019's coolest comics and video game-inspired toys
This year's Toy Fair kicked off this weekend with a huge number of reveals and announcements that showcased the best of what major companies like Hasbro, NECA, LEGO, Mezco, and so many more have to offer. We scoured the floor to find you the everything cool we could find. From Overwatch to Hellboy, Wonder Woman to My Hero Academia, these are Toy Fair 2019's Coolest Comic and Video Game Toys.
Update #2: Mattel didn't have very many surprises on hand in the comic space this year. New DC Super Hero Girls dolls to match up with the upcoming Lauren Faust reboot were shown for the very first time, and they do a nice job capturing the look and feel of the new show. Mattel is dialing back on the articulation and accessorization for its basic figures, making them less "action" and more "doll." There is a modicum of additonal articulation in the fashion doll versions, but even those base bodies pale in comparison to the original line. They are stylish, though, and it's good to see Mattel is still planning on supporting this very vital line.
Where Mattel did surprise us was with the all-new Mario Kart wave of Hot Wheels cars coming later this year. Only the first nine vehicles were shown off, but even just those have us excited for all the possibilities of recreating a miniaturized version of Nintendo's beloved franchise in our living rooms. It helps that all of the cars will be compatible with all existing Hot Wheels track sets, but Mattel is taking it one step further, and plans on releasing Mario Kart-themed track sets later this year too. It's a brilliant crossover, and one we're shocked hadn't happened already. It's never too late, though, and we're already weeping for our wallets.
Like Jazwares, McFarlane Toys also had a number of new figures for its own Fortnite figure line on display. The first few figures were a big hit, and close to a dozen new characters are planned for release through the rest of 2019. McFarlane even has plans for vehicles and gliders, as well as roleplay melee weapons, though it remains to be seen just how willing fans are to invest in these larger, more expensive elements. Vehicles are a tough sell in the 6- and 7-inch market, but this is Fortnite, and everything the brand has touched has turned to gold so far.
One of the biggest hits for us at the show were the new Sam and Max figures coming from Boss Fight Studios. The company is probably best known for its HACKS line of figures, which is a system of figure building that allows collectors to swap out each and every aspect of any figure to fashion new creations. Recently the company teamed with Neal Adams to revive Bucky O'Hare, but it's the collaboration with Steve Purcell in bringing his comedic gumshoes to life that has us giddy. Sam and Max haven't had proper collectibles in ages, but these new figures are just about perfect even in prototype form. With multiple facial expressions, loads of articulation, and memorable accessories, these figures will no doubt make fans of the cult characters very, very happy.
Update #1: Sunday at Toy Fair brought some excellent reveals from some top-notch franchises, with Fortnite leading the way. Jazwares delivered the first of its figures and accessories late last year and shot to the top of the yearly sales charts with just a few weeks of work. The company is looking to continue dominating toy shelves like Epic's battle royale has completely owned the gaming world.
Though Jazware didn't show off any of the planned figures in its 4-inch line, it debuted two new scales, the 12-inch Victory line and 6-inch Legendary line, that will be hitting shelves later this year. Victory is a larger, budget figure that will retail for $9.99 and has between 7 and 12 points of articulation. The sculpts are strong, the colors pop, and the durability for play seems to be steady at first glance.
The Legendary line is more of a collector line like many Marvel Legends or Star Wars Black Series fans may be used to buying. The figures are highly articulated and come with a number of accessories like Back Bling and alternate portraits. You might even notice on the Rabbit Raider that the additional faces reveal a few of Epic's development secrets. At $19.99, the figures are a great deal, and we can't wait to see which other characters make the cut for wave one later this summer.
DC Collectibles also brought out some fantastic new pieces for 2019 and beyond, including Lucha Explosiva figures and the Engines of Chaos statue series. The Lucha Explosiva figures were shown off behind closed doors last year, but seeing them in production for release is great news. The stylized figures all spin classic characters like Batman, Metallo, and Wonder Woman as South American wrestlers, with distinct personalities that perfectly capture the essence of each character.
Engines of Chaos is a clever new statue series that melds the worlds of Mad Max with the DCU, giving artist Riley Rossmo a wide realm with which to craft new spins on the familiar faces of the comics. Batman and Poison Ivy will start off the line over the course of the next two years, with a Lobo piece planned to follow. Though only concept art for Lobo was shown off, the vehicle will be a massive work that surpasses both initial offerings in the line. It looks awesome.
Original story: One of the lines we couldn't wait to see in person was Hasbro's take on Blizzard's fantastic team-based shooter, Overwatch. While there are a lot of Overwatch collectibles on the market, many of the articulated figures are pricey imports that look great but take a toll on your budget. Hasbro's new line, Overwatch Ultimates, brings that same incredible Blizzard design, strong articulation, and plenty of accessories, but offers it at a much friendlier price point of ~$20 each. Larger figures like Reinhardt will set you back a bit more, but they'll stay in scale, and still come with signature weapons and "power" accessories.
Elsewhere, Mezco continued to set the standard for what's possible with high-end 1/12-scale figures. There weren't a lot of new figures added to the One:12 Collective brand at this year's show, but what was new had us hyped for the next few years of Mezco's impressive collection. The new DC Comics-inspired Wonder Woman has a tremendous sculpt and is just different enough from the film version and existing iterations of the character to be a worthy addition to any collection. The same could be said of Mezco's classic Harley Quinn. With multiple head sculpts, weapons, and stellar posability, this Harley could arguably be her best figure yet.
We'll be updating this post with more incredible figures and collectibles as Toy Fair 2019 rolls on, so check back in to ensure you don't miss out on any of the awesomeness.
