Toy Fair 2015 is right around the corner. In just a few weeks Toyark.com, TFW2005.com, Tokunation.com and all of our Network sites, will be bombarding you with thousands and thousands of photos live from the show floor. This is the yearly event that will set up the rest of the years worth of products. You’ll see more reveals at Toy Fair then just about any other event (with San Diego Comic-Con being the only event to rival it).
This year should be especially interesting. We have some major event movies coming this year. There’s no doubt that both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: the Force Awakens will have a big impact on reveals. Hasbro won’t be publicly showing any The Force Awakens toys, but that may not stop others from showing off a goody or two. These two licenses won’t be the only big reveals. Companies like Hasbro, Mattel, NECA, Mezco, Square Enix, Diamond Select Toys, Funko and more are set to have a bigger presence than ever.
After the jump, I list ten things I’m looking forward to seeing or finding out at the show. Join in on the discussion and let us know what you are looking forward to seeing.
10. Mattel and MattyCollector
MattyCollector went through a major shake up earlier in the year. With Toy Guru bugging out and heading over to Jakks Pacific, it left a lot of people wondering what was to come of MattyCollector. They’ve been super quiet about future plans since that point, though we do know that Masters of the Universe classics is mostly set for 2015. but what about beyond that? Will we see a relaunch/rebranding of MOTU? Will they unveil a new scale for the brand? How about their DC Comics colelctible? So will we find out at Toy Fair if they have a solid direction for 2015 and beyond? Will we find out who is taking over MattyCollector? Or will they remain content to simply reveal a few items and stay quiet on everything else? There’s a lot of questions to be answered here.
9. Square Enix Marvel, DC Comics and Star Wars Figures
Square Enix should be showcasing prototypes for a bunch of upcoming Play Arts Kai figures. We know they’ll have their standard video game themed figures. But what can we expect out of their DC Comics license? At NYCC, they showed a bunch of upcoming Batman figures. and we got our first glimpse at Play Arts Kai Marvel Variant, so you know they’ll have some new Marvel figures there. then there is the newly reveals Star Wars Variant Play Arts Kai line. The newly designed Darth Vader seems to have impressed a ton of people. Will that positive vibe continue on as they reveal more redesigned Star Wars characters?
8. SH Figuarts – Star Wars, DBZ, Avengers, Injustice, Mario
Tamashii Nations/Bandai are set bound to have some good stuff on display. They should be ramping up their Avengers: Age of Ultron reveals. I’d be surprised if we didn’t see the next wave of Injustice figures. I’m really hoping to see a few Super Mario villains, such as Bowser, make their way to the line. I’m also interested to see if they will display anything Star Wars related. Let’s not forget their bread and butter…Dragonball Z. There are still plenty of characters awaiting a release.
7. Minimates, Minimates and More Minimates
Minimates had a great year of releases. We finally got the awesome Aliens Minimates in our hands (they were worth the wait), and we got TMNT Minimates. They continued with a strong line up of Marvel and Walking Dead Minimates as well. They surprised us with a few other lines, like Sin City, Kill Bill and Jay and Silent Bob figures. Out of everything that DST is likely to show, I’m most excited for what surprise licenses they have in store for Minimates this year.
6. Funko is becoming the king of licensed properties.
Outside of Game of thrones, the Legacy line has had a bumpy road so far. None of the additional Legacy lines seemed to have struck a chord with collectors. 2015 hould change that dramatically. Firefly, modern game licenses, Rocketeer and more should make for some great 6″ scale figures. Then there’s the ReAction line, which is exploding with more licensees than ever. Big Trouble in Little China, Jaws, Star Trek, E.T., Big Lebowski, Scarface, Dark Crystal, T2, Aliens, Breaking Bad…That list goes on and on. Pus there is likely to be even more licenses unveiled at or after Toy Fair. We haven’t even touched on their massive Pop! Vinyl Figure selection. I shudder to think how many photos we’ll need to take of this booth.
5. Mezco is set for a breakout year.
Mezco is a company that always had a specific following of fans. With Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy, they constantly drew in a crowd who didn’t always need cutting edge articulation, and was more than happy just to have a quality version of their favorite character. That all changed for Mezco last year. The introduction of the 1:12 Collective line has gotten the attention of collectors everywhere. The Mego meets Hot Toys style seems to really have struck a chord with fans (myself included). the line has articulation, amazing sculpting and tons of accessories with each character. While their Batman was well received, its their Judge Dredd that seems to be bringing new fans in. I am really looking forward to more from 1:12 Collective, but that’s not all. They look to be the company that finally give us high quality Mortal Kombat 6″ figures, and they are bringing Thundercats collectibles back! Mezco is stepping up in a big way, and I hope they seize the momentum they have and knock us off our feet at Toy Fair.
4. Star Wars Black Series and Rebels
Hasbro’s event is set for Saturday the 14th, and I’m hoping to see some great new additions to both the 6″ and 3.75″ Black Series lines. Fans are begging for Star Wars Rebels characters to get the black Series treatment, and Hasbro seems reluctant to give in to those wishes. If they’re going to bring those characters in, Toy Fair (or perhaps Sta Wars Celebration) is the time they’ll show them off. But that isn’t all, there are a ton of characters in need of a highly articulated version. And could we see even more deluxe scale Black Series sets? With The Force Awakens absent, Rebels and Black Series is all we have to look forward to.
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
TMNT is still exploding at retail. Retailers are still struggling to fill shelves after this past holiday season. Parents and kids snatched up everything that was available, and not just from Playmates. If it had the Ninja Turtles attached to it, it sold. Now personally, I’m hoping to see even more great additions to the TMNT Classics line. Perhaps more finalized versions of classic Shredder and Krang and maybe even a continuation of the comic line. I’m also curious to see what other licensors will have, as I’m sure a ton of other people are looking to jump onto the TMNT bandwagon while it’s this hot
2. NECA has something up their sleeve.
The folks at NECA had a killer year for cult collectible fans. They gave us numerous surprises throughout the year. None bigger than the Michael Keaton Batman. Predator is a line that keeps getting better and better. Their classic video game line continues to surprise, and that’s expanding into 16-bit territory now. The Classic Planet of the Apes line is doing well (we need Taylor!) and they finally snagged some major likeness rights for their Aliens lineup (yay Ripley). I must say, I’ve been surprised at the quality and success of their MEGO inspired line. But NECA’s Randy Falk has been teasing a major new license announcement; One that they claim will surprise everyone. Factor that in with their commitment to new “Ultimate” 7″ scale figures, 18″ figures, and everything else already mentioned, and I couldn’t be more psyched for what’s to come.
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron Toys
Should be no surprise what I think the biggest theme of the show is going to be. Hasbro should have a massive amount of Age of Ultron items on display. We’ll likely get looks at their Legends, 3.75″ figure, 2.5″ line and more. I expect there t be dozxens and dozens of items on display from them. Then there are the other companies that will have licenses. DST, Funko, NECA (1/4 Scale), Kotobukiya and a hundred other companies are going to be showing off Avengers toys, collectibles and merchandise.
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Be sure to check in from February 14th – 16th as we cover New York Toy Fair 2015.