Welcome back to Toy Aisle, Gizmodo’s regular roundup of the latest and greatest in wallet-integrity-threatening toys. This week, The Mandalorian serves up a few rad figures, Thanos brings his Black Order to the fore in a new Marvel Legends box set, and now you can tell Hello Kitty what to do with your very own digital pet version of her. Check it out!
Hot Toys Star Wars: The Mandalorian Death Watch Mandalorian Sixth-Scale Figure
How do you make more Mandalorian Hot Toys without having to spend a bunch of money on pesky facial likenesses or head sculpts? By cobbling together (with some new parts, at least) bits of Din Djarin and Boba Fett’s armour to recreate the former’s Mandalorian adoptives: the sinister Death Watch, the faction of mercenary warriors that were seen saving and raising Din into the Mandalorian culture after his home was ravaged in the Clone Wars. Hot Toys’ 12″ Death Watch Mando comes with the sort of things you’d expect of a Mando: a blaster rifle, a pistol, and a jetpack with removeable FX pieces to recreate the Death Watch taking flight with their new Foundling in tow. The Death Watch Mandalorian is set to release in late 2021. Just in time for season three? [Hot Toys]
Mattel He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Castle Grayskull Playset
Last winter, Mattel revealed it was bringing back its immensely popular ‘80s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toys with a new Origins line that carried over the same scale and proportions of the original He-Man figures but with more articulation and detail. The Masters of the Universe Origins line has included a few vehicles as well, but no place for the figures to hang out, so in the spring of next year Mattel will also be releasing a MOTU Origins Castle Grayskull playset based on the ‘80s original for around $105. The playset will include an exclusive Sorceress figure and feature similar functionality like a working drawbridge, elevator, and throne, but with an updated sculpt to better fit in with the more detailed figures.
Marvel Legends Avengers: Infinity War The Children of Thanos Pack
Sure they had maybe five minutes of collective screentime together before getting killed off twice across Infinity War and Endgame, but Thanos’ Black Order, as well as the Mad Titan himself, take the centre stage in this Amazon-exclusive five-pack. It’s mostly releases of figures that have previously been available in the Marvel Legends line, either as single-card releases or as multi-part build-a-figures, in Cull Obsidian’s case. But it’s still a neat way to get Thanos and all of his cronies in one place, and for good measure, you get an improved version of Thanos that includes an alternate head and left arm to recreate the injuries he sustained after clicking the snap heard ‘round the MCU. The set is currently due to drop in December, for about $166. [Amazon]
Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series Zartan Action Figure
After introducing its new six-inch line with series favourites like Destro, Scarlett, Cobra Commander, and Snake Eyes, Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Classified Series is starting to get into the really interesting and unique G.I. Joe characters like Zartan. The master of disguise and leader of the rebellious Dreadnoks was always a popular figure among ‘80s kids because of his unique colour-changing skin that reacted to sunlight. Hasbro has carried that feature forward with its new Zartan figure as well as his backpack that opens to reveal one of his many disguises, but is also introducing more articulation and detailing. He’s available for pre-order for $28, but won’t actually be available until February of next year.
Super Impulse Micro Arcades and Tiny Arcades
Super Impulse continues to cater to retro gaming enthusiasts with its ever-expanding line of credit card-sized Micro Arcades and desktop-friendly Tiny Arcade cabinets. New additions to the Tiny Arcades for fall 2020 include Mappy, Burger Time, a Hello Kitty-themed version of Pac-Man, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cabinet (one player only) featuring enhanced graphics for the first time. The Micro Arcade collection is also expanding with Frogger, Ms. Pac-Man, and Oregon Trail, although you won’t be doing your eyes any favours playing that text-heavy game on that incredibly tiny screen.
Star Wars Meisho Movie Realisation Ronin Mandalorian
Well, now we’ve come full circle — Bandai’s line of Japanese-themed Star Wars figures turning the denizens of the galaxy far, far away into armoured samurai has gotten its hands on The Mandalorian, so you can truly get your Lone Wolf and Cub on. That is, if you don’t mind missing out on the cub, because alas, the Ronin Din Djarin does not come with a Baby Yoda equivalent as his companion. Instead, the pretty nifty 6″ samurai — clad in armour themed around his early season one appearance, which no doubt means a shiny “Beskar” version will eventually be on the way — comes with a small sword and removeable sheath, as well as two firearms inspired by his blasters from the show. He’s set to cost $140, and is exclusive to the Premium Bandai Store in Japan and the U.S., where he can be preordered for a May 2021 release. No word on an Australian release date just yet.
Bandai America Hello Kitty Tamagotchi
Given enough time, Hello Kitty will inevitably invade every single pop culture property that has or will ever exist, and now you can cross Tamagotchi off that list. Bandai has teamed up with Sanrio for a pair of new digital pocket pets featuring not only Hello Kitty designs, but also the adorable cat herself and her friend Joey the mouse appearing alongside your virtual pet. You’re not actually raising Hello Kitty or her friends — heaven forbid the beloved characters should die — but they’ll make the experience more interesting as Hello Kitty will feed your character and clean up, while Joey will make a mess of the place. Both versions also feature new mini games, and will be available from stores like GameStop and Amazon starting in December.