Top Ten Action Figure Announcements at Toy Fair 2008Toy Fair 2008 has come and gone, and now that everyone is able to process through the information overload from last month, we can begin to reflect back on where action figures are headed for the year to come. After covering Toy Fair in its entirety, it’s time to take a look at the top ten biggest announcements for action figure collectors. 1. Star Wars Clone Wars AT-TEIn the 1980’s, big vehicles and playsets were commonplace. But in recent years, toy companies have figured out that these items are really expensive to produce and priced high enough as to be prohibitive to the budget of most action figure collectors. But Star Wars fans dreams came true this year with the unveiling of the utterly massive AT-TE. At a retail price of $100, it’s expensive, but the item delivers and was definitely worth the wait.2. Kung Fu Panda (Mattel)Easily the biggest surprise for me at Toy Fair was the awesome line up Mattel has planned for Kung Fu Panda. Don’t underestimate the collectability of a line aimed for kids! The sculpting looks absolutely gorgeous, and it definitely looks like a film that has the potential to click with both kids and adults.3. Hellboy 2 (Mezco)How do you outdo your own work that’s already considered top notch by most collectors? Look no further than Mezco’s treatment of their Hellboy action figures. We’re getting one of the best action figure treatments of a movie ever, but one that fits in perfectly with the original action figures from 2004. Hellboy was a sleeper hit in 2004, but I expect it to be much bigger and better this time around, and Mezco’s 7-inch and 3-3/4-inch lines will meet and beat the expectations.4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NECA)It’s really cool to see a company take one of the most popular action figure series of all time and bring it back to its roots. NECA’s Ninja Turtles hearken back to the characters’ earliest designs in comics, and they’re getting a sculpting and articulation treatment that’s better than most of what’s on the market.5. Warriors of the Zodiac (McFarlane Toys)McFarlane gets the award for most original concept in action figures with their Warriors of the Zodiac line. Take the vivid imagination of the twelve signs of the zodiac, and combine them with the sculpting and design collectors have come to expect from McFarlane, and you’ve got yourselves a sure-fire hit. I can’t wait to see these on store shelves!6. WWE Classics Andy Kaufman (Jakks Pacific)With approximately 400 wrestling figures produced a year, no one can touch Jakks Pacific’s ability to tap into every possibly pore of wrestling over the last few decades. Need proof? Look no further than the Andy Kaufman figure their producing as part of their WWE Classics line. That’s right, Andy Kaufman, the deceased comedian well known for his possibly-staged fight with Jerry “The King” Lawler, is getting his own action figure. Expect this figure to be highly prized among collectors, and not just wrestling fans!7. Star Wars 1:4 Scale Figures (Diamond Select Toys)The images of these figures are still very much under wraps, be rest assured, they are incredible. Everything about these figures, the sculpting, the oufits, and most importantly, the price, is as good as you can get. While it’s hard to convince you without pictures, believe me, when these hit the market, you will want to find a spot in your home for them.8. Wizard of Oz Busts (Gentle Giant)Blasphemy! How can I talk about the Wizard of Oz when Gentle Giant holds the license to properties like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter? I can talk about them because they look absolutely incredible. The Wizard of Oz has made its way into action figures on multiple occasions, but the quality of the sculpts on these busts is absolutely stunning. 9. Indiana Jones (Kotobukiya)Most collectors have seen the incredible Henry Jones Sr. ArtFX figure. But no one has seen the ArtFX theater dioramas planned for the Indiana Jones license. Kotobukiya has a lot of big plans for Indy, from sculpted figures and dioramas to the ever popular blind-box urban vinyl-style character figures. Kotobukiya is certainly making up for the lack of Indiana Jones collectibles over the last several years!10. Star Trek (Playmates)When typing “Star Trek” and “Playmates” together, I thought for sure I’d be referring to the classic action figure line that ruled the 1990’s. The partnership is being renewed once again in anticipation of J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek film, slated for release next summer. There’s a lot of pressure for the film to reboot the franchise, and Playmates action figures could be a huge part of that. While nothing was on display at Toy Fair, the announcement was officially made, and that’s all we really need.
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