Hello Junkies! As you may or may not know, each month we bring you "AFJ’s Top 10 Hottest Toys". How do we determine the hottest toys on the month? Well, we monitor the AFJ closed Facebook Group and take note of what gets you talking and posting, for one. We also see what gets people crazy on our Instagram page. April saw the debut of Mace Windu, in stores, as well as a pseudo-release fo The Lighting Series Power Rangers, by Hasbro. We say "pseudo" because the street date fluctuated from April 22nd to May 1st. Walmart didn't care, but Target certainly did. We had one major convention in April, Star Wars Celebration Chicago (see our coverage HERE) which got Star Wars fans dueling. Now, this list is not just one Junkie's choice, as our Chief FB Admin, Rick "The Dark Knight" Alaia, Jason Nelson, our "Pop Guru", MJ Ortiz, "The Key Master", and Robert Trate, "The Jedi Junkie", all kick in their two cents on this list. Enjoy! #AFJ4LIFE
The following items are in no particular order.
Star Wars Celebration Phantom Menace (Duel of the Fates) Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi Exclusives - Hasbro
If you got to Star Wars Celebration Chicago you only made it halfway there. You needed to win the Hasbro lottery to even buy one of these figures. AFJ was there, but we lost the lottery. Thankfully, Hasbro sent us one of each for a review! We compared the new photo-real Darth Maul to his 2012 counterpart (at 13:49). Well worth it, but heartbreaking to open.
Blade - One:12 Collective - Mezco Toyz
It almost seems a shame that Blade here has no one to battle. After all, Mezco did make a One:12 Frankenstein, why not a One:12 Dracula? LOL. Regardless of having someone to battle, this is a sweet figure and complete with all the accessories any fan of the character would require. Want one? Nope, not going to happen. Join the waitlist for Blade HERE on Mezco Toyz.com.
Metallic Night King - POP! Funko - AT&T Exclusive
Yes, that's right, your local AT&T store now has their own exclusive Pop! It's hot for its oddball location rarity as well as the fact that the final season of Game of Thrones is underway. It's okay to admit that you are going to look for one today.
Mike Tyson - The Tattoo - Storm Collectibles
WOW. Our Chief Admin Rick Alaia recommended the previous Storm Collectibles release of Mike Tyson (seen HERE in September 2018) and now Storm Collectibles has released another version to satisfy the need for more Mike, called "The Tattoo". It is still available (order HERE), but it would be better to act quickly on this one.
Mace Windu Star Wars: The Black Series - Hasbro
Mace has been long in coming to the Black Series line. At NYCC, last October, the big announcement was that Hasbro, Lucasfilm Ltd., and Disney decided to really dive into the prequel trilogy for figures. Mace had already been announced, but his fanbase has wanted him since day 1. Check out our review of the figure below. Pre-Order one HERE from the Hasbro Pulse.
Power Rangers: The Lighting Series - Hasbro
A point of contention with a lot of collectors this month was/ is the release of Hasbro's Power Rangers: The Lighting Series figures. There have been two different street dates and one big retail giant has just plained ignored it. So, in short, those that can find them can't buy them and the others that can are price gouging them on the secondary market. These figures are hot with collectors of both the Power Rangers franchise and action figure junkies too. They are spectacular. Order the entire wave HERE from Entertainment Earth.
Dragonball - S.H.Figuarts
S.H. Figuarts has three new Dragonball releases that are beyond spectacular. Below you will find Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Gogeta (left), Evil Majin Buu (Center), and Dragon Ball Super S.H.Figuarts Super Saiyan Broly (right). If this property is your heart's desire you probably have already ordered them. If you are just learning of them now, they are already sold out on most sites.
X-Men Marvel Legends 6-Inch Action Figures Wave 4
If you can see it (below), Gambit does not come with a Build-A-Figure piece. This means Gambit is probably going to be two to a case. Now at first, he'll be nowhere to be seen, then before you know it, he'll be peg warming Walmart. The whole wave is great and many of the figures are long overdue, in the modern Marvel Legends release format. Order the full wave HERE and save your self some frustration and get a second Gambit to trade!
Dark Phoenix - POP! Funko - Hot Topic Chase Exclusive
I like that, in store, Hot Topic has a limitation on how many exclusives you can buy. This way everyone gets a shot. What we really hate are chase figures. They are w always the one we want. Case in point the glow in the dark Dark Phoenix. It's sad because this Pop! is has a better chance of being cooler than the upcoming movie.
NECA Originals Street Scene Action Figure Diorama Display
Now this one is long overdue. Why? There certainly not enough dioramas out there for serious collectors. NECA has released a Non-TMNT version of their TMNT diorama so that Non-TMNT fans can have one and enjoy a city street scene. Thank you NECA. Order yours' HERE from Entertainment Earth with Free Shipping!
