Welcome back to Toy Aisle, Gizmodo’s regular round up of the latest and greatest in toy news. This week: Hasbro goes back to Star Wars with big new playsets and big new droids, Lego asks us what we really really want, and Doctor Strange magics himself up a new Multiverse of Madness figure. Check it out!
Lego BrickHeadz Spice Girls Tribute
Usually limited to packs of two characters, Lego has found a clever way to sell five BrickHeadz characters in one fell swoop by turning the Spice Girls into a collectible block-headed set — just in time to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the group’s second album, Spiceworld. The 578-piece set includes brick-built versions of Emma, Geri, Melanie C, Mel B, and Victoria with iconic costumes and a smattering of accessories including microphones and mic stands. Lego hasn’t revealed pricing or when the set will officially be available.
Super7 The Simpsons McBain ReAction Figures
We’re not the biggest fans of faux-retro action figures with limited detailing and articulation, but we’re going to make an exception for this new line of Super7’s retro-ish ReAction figs featuring Springfield’s favourite Hollywood action star, Rainier Wolfcastle, as McBain. There’s not a lot of details on the new line aside from an image shared by Super7 on its Twitter account, but they should be available next week and will include two versions of McBain (regular and Commando-style) as well as Senator Mendoza and Dexter Scoey: McBain’s partner, tragically killed just before he can retire.
Star Wars The Vintage Collection Boba Fett’s Throne Room
Hasbro has revealed one of the largest ever playsets in its 3.75″ scaled The Vintage Collection toyline, recreating the throne of Boba Fett as seen in The Book of Boba Fett. As well as being scaled to the line, the playset includes a host of accessories to decorate the throne area with, and also comes with the more heavyset version of Bib Fortuna glimpsed briefly in the climax of The Mandalorian season two before Boba promptly… deposed him. The whopping set costs $US230 ($319), and is set to release early next year. [Hasbro Pulse]
S.H. Figuarts Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Stephen Strange
A new Doctor Strange movie naturally means a new Doctor Strange Figuarts, and Bandai’s latest crack at the magical whip gives Stephen quite the fancy cape upgrade, a fully wired piece to be articulated in suitably dramatic ways. Beyond that, Stephen’s updated robes get rendered in the line for the first time, and he comes with a boggling 15 interchangeable hands, and assorted magic effects to attach to those casting hands. What’s more, there’s even a special attachment to hang his cape on a Figuarts stand, letting it “fly” free from its master. Due out in Japan just after the movie hits, in April, he’ll cost the equivalent of around $US69 ($96). Nice! [Toyark]
Hasbro Star Wars The Black Series Dark Trooper
Speaking of The Mandalorian season two finale, Moff Gideon’s menacing revival of the legendary Dark Troopers from Dark Forces is coming to the 6″ scaled Black Series. Oversized to accurately scale alongside the rest of the line, the Dark Trooper includes alternate fists for posing, a blaster, and bonus FX pieces to recreate it using jetpacks, as scene when the droid soldiers abducted Grogu from Tython. The “Deluxe” figure costs $US34 ($47), and is set to release in early 2023. [Hasbro Pulse]
Hot Toys Spider-Man: No Way Home Doc Ock Sixth-Scale Figure Deluxe Version
Alfred Molina managed to turn one of the most bizarre Marvel villains into a character that audiences both feared and pitied, so it’s no surprise that his return in Spider-Man: No Way Home played a big part in the film’s box office success. Hot Toys has done an amazing job recreating Doc Ock’s mechanically complex tentacles on this new sixth-scale figure which are posable thanks to an internal wire in each one, but we wish Hot Toys’ artists had spent as much time perfecting the head sculpt of Alfred Molina here. There’s no pricing details on this one yet, and the figure won’t ship until the middle of 2023, but if you opt for the deluxe version you’ll get four extra nanotech tentacles as well you can swap in.
Lego Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car
Lego’s $US20 ($28) Speed Champions are a cheap way to build up a sports car collection, but they’re mostly just for show (and occasionally play). If you want a more capable replica of your favourite racer, Lego’s Technic line has been delivering lots of those over the past few years for those of us who are irresponsible budgeters. This wonderfully detailed McLaren Formula 1 Race Car includes working steering, suspension, a functional differential, and a replica V6 engine with moving pistons. It will also include a $US180 ($250) price tag when it’s officially available starting on March 1.
John James Rambo First Blood Series Sixth Scale Figure
Based on the character’s first appearance in Rambo: First Blood — in which John Rambo is a vet struggling to return to a normal life in the U.S. after the Vietnam War (as opposed to a headband wearing, bow and arrow wielding mercenary in the sequels) — this sixth-scale figure of John James Rambo features 28 points of articulation as well as a hand-painted realistic head sculpt of Sylvester Stallone. Available through the Sly Stallone Shop for $US260 ($361) and shipping in late 2022, the figure also comes with eight alternate hands that are further posable, a weathered Vietnam-era field jacket, a sleeping roll, and a survival knife with a removable compass.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.