News

On August 6th and 7th the SMILE FEST 2022 took place in Tokyo, a convention of the Good Smile Company with over 200 innovations from the companies Aniplex, Freeing, Max Factory, ThreeZero, of course Good Smile Company and many more.

"Torrent, the Spectral Steed" from »Elden Ring« and the very nice "Cammy" from »Street Fighter« put a corresponding smile on our faces.

With so many innovations, there is definitely something for everyone, whether anime or gaming - it's best to get your own mind: https://gallery.smilefest.com/tokyo2022/en

With only two films, Jordan Peele has managed to become a brand. Today, his third film, »Nope«, is hitting cinemas.

Our Mick took the chance and watched the spectacle last night in a preview. The IMAX camera delivers fantastic pictures accompanied by a very rich and no less fantastic sound. The actors, above all Daniel Kaluuya and his film sister Keke Palmer, complement each other perfectly; he the stoic and she the gossip. The film is thriller, horror, sci-fi, western and comedy at the same time.

But what is the film about? About an alien invasion? Nope! First and foremost, the film is a declaration of love to cinema itself. A bit Steven Spielberg shines through and more than once we are reminded of his classics »Close Encounters of the Third Kind« and »Jaws«. But it's also about filmmaking and the power of images. Peele starts at the very beginning and goes back to Eadweard Muybridge and the first moving pictures in 1878. At the same time the film raises questions. What remains? What will be remembered? And did anything happen at all if there was no camera to capture it?

»Nope« takes its time, a lot of time. And it certainly isn't for everyone. Maybe some of you will experience the first half as rather boring. Not everything is told to its very end and not every question is answered. You have to engage with the film to discover what lies beneath the surface.

Mick has by no means discovered everything yet and wants to watch the film again next week. What about you? Is a Jorden Peele film a must-attend event for you?

For the motif of our August postcard we picked dear Guido - one more time - as our victim! No, it probably wasn't that bad for him. Guido surely had some fun while shooting the mean Armored Lost Predator from NECA and so make another contribution to the S.P.A.C.E Postcard Collection.

Our idea for the cover was of course inspired by »Prey«, the latest flick out of the »Predator« franchise, which is available on HULU or Disney+ since a couple of days.

As always, we are throwing in a free copy of this awesome card in every package that goes out to you guys during the whole month!

A huge thanks again to Guido for the picture! In case you are not following him and his creative works yet, then you are welcome to do so on Instagram (@gzamicl) 😃.

The production company A24 has been drawing attention to itself for a long time with unusual films such as »Everything Everywhere All At Once« or »Ex Machina«. Especially horror fans always got their money's worth: »Hereditary« or »Midsommar« are certainly familiar to everyone.

It was not only Ti West's »X« that enchanted audiences in spring, but also actress Mia Goth in her double role as Pearl and Maxine. If you haven't had enough of her yet, you can be excited! The first trailer for the prequel »Pearl« was dropped recently and the movie will be released in US cinemas in September after its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.

Pearl, who was already on the road as a killer grandma in »X«, is now allowed to attack the family and community as a young country bumpkin. The prequel takes place in 1918 and tells the story of a young woman who wants to become famous at all costs - and when she doesn't succeed, she doesn't shy away from murder.
https://youtu.be/L5PW5r3pEOg
Unfortunately, there is no German start date yet, but at least the Blu-rays for »X« will be released on September 2nd to bridge the wait.

Another top-class treat awaits us with »Bodies, Bodies, Bodies«, at least if you can trust the ratings. Here Rotten Tomatoes is currently listing the film with a rating of 91%!
A group of rich friends in their mid-twenties throw a multi-day hurricane party at a remote mansion. In order to banish the emerging boredom, the titular game is suggested. One is the killer and the others have to guess who it is. When the game victim is then found covered in blood, it is clear to everyone that a real killer is up to mischief here and that it will not just stay with the one corpse. If you find this too trite, you should definitely watch the film to convince yourself otherwise ...
https://youtu.be/cTzGKsZjBOY
If you decide against it, you can currently marvel at »MEN« in the cinema, which leaves a much more mature and disturbing impression.

For everyone who doesn't like horror, A24 has another highlight ready. »The Idol« by Sam Levinson and Abel Tesfaye, better known as THE WEEKND, is a series that revolves around the abysses of the music industry. Abel as a self-help guru, Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny Depp's daughter) as a rising pop starlet and a visually stunning trailer definitely make you want to watch it!
https://youtu.be/wRyHnzFn4HM

As you can see, A24 is constantly on schedule - not only in the horror genre but also in many other areas. But one thing is clear: ordinary and monotonous does not exist here!

Last weekend, Power-Con 2022 took place in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. That's right, the biggest »Masters of the Universe« con moved from California to Ohio - and it's no longer a pure MOTU event!

After Mattel made a very clear decision last year to consistently take a different approach to marketing and specialty sales, especially regarding exclusives (Mattel Creations), there were unfortunately no Power-Con Exclusives this year like in all the years before. This is one of the reasons why - you can probably say that - the Power-Con has lost a whole portion of its appeal.

Nevertheless, we MOTU fans can look forward to a few highlights:
NECA is back to Eternia! And that pretty unusual, because we got to see a series of MOTU latex masks, which unfortunately sold out pretty quickly and were only intended for the US market. In any case, we will clarify for you whether there is still a glimmer of hope.

FORMO TOYS not only showed their current »Dragonore« wave, but you could also marvel at one or the other new figure. So they are busy here!

The FOUR HORSEMEN were of course also represented and gave an insight into the »Cosmic Legions« figures as well as the new All Stars 5+ wave of the »Mythic Legions« (which will soon also be listed for pre-order in our shop).

After TWEETERHEAD presented the next »MOTU Legends Maquette« at the SDCC two weeks ago with Skeletor, there were now two more statues of this stunning series as a preview during an exclusive panel: Beast Man and the Sorceress!

And while we're on the subject of "statues": the brand new He-Man Art Scale Statue from IRON STUDIOS, which celebrated its premiere at SDCC 2022, is now available for pre-order in our shop.

BEHAVIOUR, the studio behind the asymmetrical multiplayer horror game »Dead by Daylight«, is intensifying its collaboration with CAPCOM.
After welcoming the first »Resident Evil« chapter by the Entitus in 2021, fans can now look forward to an expansion! When the »Dead by Daylight« creative director was asked how he would describe the new chapter in three words, he said "big family reunion". This shows how much they care about the »Resident Evil« license and maybe that wasn't the end ;).

With »Resident Evil: Project W«, Behavior brings the cruel Albert Wesker as the new killer and Ada Wong and Rebecca Chambers as survivors.
So far, the three characters have only been roughly introduced and little is known about their special abilities.

We'll just have to wait and see, but we don't want to withhold the cool trailer from you:
https://youtu.be/QMEFfoaNX34

A young female Comanche warrior in the 18th century is confronted with an opponent who cannot be of this world. The creature is on the hunt and just as bloodthirsty as its descendants 300 years later.

»Prey«, the fifth movie in the Predator series, starts on Disney+ today. Opinions in the German YouTube film critic scene differ widely. The spectrum ranges from "almost boring and disappointing" to "the best Predator since the original". The film currently has a 6.4 IMDb score, but the Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer currently sits at a fresh 91% Critics' Rating and 88% Viewers' Favorites. Everyone agrees that it's definitely better than »Predator - Upgrade«, but that doesn't mean that much.

So we are very excited to see how we and you will like the film. We'll know more tonight. Based on the photos and trailer, however, we can already say that the main actress Amber Midthunder as the warrior Naru is simply stunning and we hope that Hot Toys will see it that way too - Naru as a 1/6 figure, that would be awesome!

There is also another streaming start today on Netflix with the live-action adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel »The Sandman«. So we're cautiously optimistic ...

Many fans have been eagerly awaiting the new DC superhero film »Batgirl« on HBO Max later this year. With a production cost of more than 90 million dollars, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (»Ms. Marvel« and »Bad Boys for Life«), Michael Keaton (the one and only Batman) and Leslie Grace (the first Latina to play Batgirl) it already had some potential ... But »Batgirl« will neither run on the streaming platforms nor at cinemas!

After the film had already finished shooting, David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, decided to scrap »Batgirl« completely and focus more on blockbusters in the cinema.

There is a lot of speculation about the reasons: the test audience was probably rather disappointed and did not give a sufficiently good rating and the production costs of the film are too expensive for streaming and too cheap for the cinema. So in the end it was decided to leave »Batgirl« in the closet and write off the roughly 90 million dollars as a tax loss. "Variety" reports from insider knowledge that a way was found to save a large sum in taxes related to the founding of the new company "Warner Bros. Discovery" by completely writing off the film. This probably only works if the company is newly established and the film may never be shown.

Even if no one will be able to watch »Batgirl«, it has already made history - as one of the most expensive abandoned film projects of all time!

Five assassins aboard a fast-moving bullet train detect their missions have something in common.

There's plenty of good reason we're excited for »Bullet Train«, which hits theaters today. Director and ex-stuntman David Leitch knows his stuff and knows how to stage good action and spice it up with the right dose of humor. »John Wick« (as producer), »Deadpool 2« and »Atomic Blonde« are credited to him.

The film has a great cast with Brad Pitt in top form, Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz and Michael Shannon, all in a great mood to play.

Bizarre, hand-made action that defies the limits of physics, ludicrous situations and cool sayings - what more could you want from an entertaining, well-tempered visit to the cinema.

Somehow trains as locations always have had their own special appeal, from Alfred Hitchcock's »The Lady Vanishes« to »Murder on the Orient Express« to »Snowpiercer« and »Train to Busan«.

We are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the film in the comforting certainty that what is being presented cannot happen to us with the 9 Euro ticket!

Finally also Sylvester Stallone makes his debut as a superhero! Actually, he already had a small appearance in »Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2«, but now we can see him outside of Marvel and DC in the movie »Samaritan«.

Sly plays Joe Smith, a disaffected old garbage man. Only the thirteen-year-old boy from next door Sam (Javon 'Wanna' Walton) suspects that behind Smith is the superhero Stanley Kominski aka Samaritan, who was believed dead. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to lure his neighbor out in order to save the city from collapse ...

As the antagonist Cyrus we meet Pilou Asbæk, who is well known to us as Euron Greyjoy from the HBO series »Game of Thrones«.

Even if the synopsis isn't exactly bursting with originality, the trailer convinces with finest action and good chemistry between Sly and his young co-star.

The film was originally supposed to hit cinemas at the end of 2020, but as is so often the case, Corana thwarted the plan. Initially postponed, the film now finds its place exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, where it can be viewed from August 26, 2022. Here's a little appetizer:
https://youtu.be/9FKnTxSC16E

Last weekend, a very special happening took place in Albuquerque, the capital of the US state of New Mexico and the home of »Breaking Bad« and of course »Better Call Saul« ...

Vince Gilligan, the mastermind behind the two incredibly terrific TV series, visited the city's mayor along with several cast and crew members to hand over a first-class gift:
In collaboration with SONY, Gilligan had made a life-size bronze statue of Heisenberg and Pinkman. It is intended to express the gratitude and appreciation for the many years of support from the city and residents and to be a symbol of this outstanding series for both the city and of course all fans. No surprise that the statue was unveiled and presented to the world by none other than Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul themselves. The hilarious yet emotional spectacle was broadcasted live on YouTube by local station One Albuquerque Media GOV-TV 16. Be sure to check it out - if only because of the sayings by Walter White (who is currently suffering from a lot of hair growth)!

https://youtu.be/ZSphSoZRdQA

However, the wonderful making of this statue has a very exciting background - especially for us collectors of action-figures. Because do you actually know who sculpted this impressive piece? It was none other than the incredibly talented Trevor Grove. We all probably have at least one collectible at home that came from Trevor's magic hands. Manufacturers such as NECA, Tweeterhead, HCG, Mondo and Sideshow have been working with him for a wide variety of projects and formats for years.

Trevor seems to like the 1:6 scale very much - and since he was a »Breaking Bad« fan from the very beginning, he modeled a few 1/6 Heisenberg heads more than 10 years ago - primarily for himself. Just for fun and out of passion. Because the heads and custom figures were going through the roof online due to their high quality, the showrunners naturally also became aware of them. Producer Melissa Bernstein contacted Trevor - and the rest is history ... or the result is now cast in life-size bronze in Albuquerque!

Isn't that a dreamlike story? Our heartiest congratulations to Trevor on this achievement and the incredibly good work! One more reason to book your next USA trip soon, with New Mexico as the main destination!

But before that, we're all going home very quickly because the next episode »Better Call Saul« is out and who do you think we'll meet again today according to Vince Gilligan ...

When we unpacked the new 1/6 scale Batman ARTFX PVC statue by KOTOBUKIYA in one of our SDCC live-streams, it was immediately clear to everyone that this magnificent Last Knight on Earth had to be the product of the month for August!

After Batman is shot by a boy, Bruce Wayne finds himself a patient in Arkham Asylum. A doctor who resembles the Joker tells him that he only imagined Batman and that he is now on the mend. Bruce can't believe this and tries to escape, whereupon Alfred explains that this was all staged to protect him from the bitter truth: Gotham and the rest of the world are gone! A short time later, Bruce wakes up in a desert and finds the Joker's talking head in a jar. Together, they travel through a post-apocalyptic world to find out what exactly happened.

Kotobukiya perfectly captured the Dark Knight as he thoughtfully wanders the earth with the head of his archenemy The Joker.
Standing at 30cm tall, this marvelous statue recreates the stylization and form of the unique design work in the comics.

If you are as amazed about this masterpiece as we are, then go and get it!

After the leave of our Katharina end of June, we started a nationwide - actually worldwide - casting in order to find a worthy successor for Katha in the team "Service & Sales".

Our conditions have been tricky! Besides a full load of skills in office management, a very fine tuned and sensitive antenna for the belongings of our customers and of course some very deeply in the DNA anchored nerd genes, one thing was extremely important to us: he or she shall look roughly like Casey Jones!

This requirement alone actually limited our search pretty much. So it took a couple of months ... until we found HIM: our new colleague DANIEL!

Starting today, Daniel will give everything at the S.P.A.C.E frontline for you, dear customers. Allow him some time for a little groove-in-phase until he will also be available on our phone.

You can reach out to him right away under daniel@space-figuren.de, because "lookslikecaseyjonesandloveshorrormoviesandofcoursealsotheturtles@space-figuren.de" unfortunately was already occupied.

COWABUNGA and WELCOME to the S.P.A.C.E Crew, dear Daniel!

Wow! To round up an already exciting day, LUCASFILM gave us this very special treat for the end of work day: the new ANDOR trailer!
https://youtu.be/cKOegEuCcfw

The clip is set up very dynamically and the visual impression is definately promising a spy & thrill Star Wars in the tone of »Rogue One«.

There's one little bumper, though: the launch of the series will be postponed from August 21st September. But on the other hand, we will get three episodes right away - that means Cassian Andor in a full-feature length:)!


 

A long time ago, on a small blue planet, situated in one of the smaller spiral arms of the Milky Way ... a man had a dream. The dream he dreamed was a film that could not have been made with the resources available at the time. The man was George Lucas and the movie he dreamed of was named »Star Wars«.

In order to make the impossible possible, Lucas founded the special effects company INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC. And cinema should be different from that time on ...

As of yesterday, Disney+ started streaming the six-part miniseries »Light & Magic«, giving us a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the history of ILM. In addition to George Lucas and other filmmakers, many of those involved such as Dennis Muren, Richard Edlund, Phil Tippett, John Dykstra and Jon Berg themselves have their say and remember their adventures with spaceships and dinosaurs in more than 350 films, which were awarded with 16 Oscars.

It's informative, sometimes anecdotal and nostalgic, and always very entertaining. An absolute must-see for all film lovers (and not just Star Wars fans)!

https://youtu.be/DM_XwzOK_98

If there was one panel at SDCC 2022 that was most eagerly awaited, it surely was be the MARVEL panel. El Presidente Kevin Feige didn't disappoint the fans either and gave an outlook on what awaits us at Marvel in terms of films and series in the next few years. Phases 4 to 6 are now officially titled THE MULTIVERSE SAGA. Phase 4 ends this year with »Wakanda Forever«.

Phase 5 then includes the following films and series:
»Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania« (movie), February 17, 2023
»Secret Invasion« (series), Spring 2023
»Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3« (movie), May 5, 2023
»Echo« (series), Summer 2023
»Loki - Season 2« (series), Summer 2023
»The Marvels« (movie), July 28, 2023
»Blade« (movie), November 3, 2023
»Ironheart« (series), Fall 2023
»Agatha - Coven of Chaos« (series), Winter 2023/24
»Daredevil: Born Again« (series), Spring 2024
»Captain America: New World Order« (movie), July 28, 2024
»Thunderbolts« (movie), July 28, 2024

IMDb: All About the MCU Phase 5
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi655475225/?ref_=ttvi_vi_imdb_1

As the last Corona years have taught us, the planned release dates can of course still change.

The »Fantastic Four« have been officially announced for phase 6 (November 2024). In this phase there will be eight more films/series that have not yet been specified. Two new Avengers movies are also scheduled for release in 2025: »Avengers: The Kang Dynasty« (May 2025) and »Avengers: Secret Wars« (November 2025). Phase 6 will end with those two blockbusters.

So, lots of Marvel for the next three and a half years. For us collectors, this means we better start saving our money, because surely tons of new collectibles will be coming our way. We are excited ...

San Diego Comic Con is a fixture on studio and broadcaster calendars when it comes to feeding us fans new trailers. And this year was no different. There was a lot that excited us and tickled our retinas pleasantly.

We already talked about the emotional trailer on »Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever« the day before yesterday. Another Marvel highlight could be the more comedic »She-Hulk: Attorney at Law« series. We're looking forward to Tatiana Maslany as the green lawyer.

DC sent with »Black Adam« and » Shazam! Fury of the Gods« two very different superheroes into the race. Currently, our sympathies are somewhat greater with Shazam, probably because the first movie here surprised us so positively.

»John Wick: Chapter 4« promises us hard-hitting action and shows once again how to properly choreograph and photograph fight scenes.

There is also plenty of material in the pipeline for all fantasy fans. We're still a bit skeptical about » Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power«, but with every new trailer we're getting more Middle-Earth vibes. We're also excited to return to Westeros and dive into the prequel to the Game of Thrones saga in »House of the Dragon«. The trailer for »Dungeons & Dragons« really got us flashed. Here we expect grandiose popcorn cinema at its best.

Two series are entering their finale: The Apple TV+ series »See« with Jason Momoa ends after the third season and »The Walking Dead« ends after 11 seasons. Once one of our top 10 series, the zombie soap eventually lost us.

Now comes a clear "Please don't screw that up!" to the broadcasters. With Netflix, such fears are certainly justified after a few less successful adaptations. Let's hope »The Sandman« is worth something. The trailer for the series adaptation of the Anne Rice novel »Interview with the Vampire« at AMC looks quite atmospheric. We are looking forward to it.

Here you will find a compilation of all trailers and teasers shown at SDCC 2022:
https://youtu.be/c4jNT6_OFM8

What are you looking forward to the most?

How fast time always goes by ...
The long-awaited San Diego Comic Con 2022 came to an end last Sunday. Some manufacturers of our industry surprised positively, with others one would have hoped for more.

Anyone who has watched our live streams diligently already knows almost all the highlights, but today we want to show you OUR favourites from the show:

Andrea: Fonzie Statue from Happy Days by Infinite Statue
Juli: The Wizard of Oz Art Scale Statues by Iron Studios
Sabine: AC/DC Figural Dolls by Neca
Mick: 1/6 Scale Nosferatu by Kaustic Plastik
Patrick: 1/6 Scale Starfighter N-1 by Hot Toys
Sven: He-Man Deluxe Art Scale Statue by Iron Studios
Tobi: Jim Henson's Dinosaurs Figures by Neca
Toby: Frankie Reborn Statue by Sideshow

You can check all this out also as a video on YouTube - tune in and don't forget to subscribe to our channel:
https://youtu.be/1GyH3hMMxbk

Let's grab a cool iced tea for now and add more new products to our shop :)!

At this year's Comic Con in San Diego, the sensational and very emotional first trailer for »Black Panther: Wakanda Forever« finally celebrated its premiere! Despite all the joy about the new film, there is also sadness about the premature death of Chadwick Boseman. In »Black Panther« he wowed us with his charisma in the lead role of T'Challa aka Black Panther. So we see this trailer as a tribute to the great actor.
https://youtu.be/RlOB3UALvrQ

MARVEL officials decided not to just recast T'Challa. So T'Challa died with Boseman and the script had to be changed respectfully.

Meanwhile, Marvel has also released the first synopsis of the film:
"Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M'Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba) fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death.As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livanalli."

We are very excited about the appearances of Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the King of Atlantis, and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams aka Ironheart. Both will appear more frequently in future MCU films and series.

Of course, MARVEL isn't telling us yet who the new Black Panther will be. The final shot of the trailer is showing him (or her) extend the claws, but we'll probably have to wait until November to see who's gonna be wearing the black suit. »Black Panther: Wakanda Forever« then will end phase 4 of the MCU.

Also on today's Saturday we are sweating gallons of juice to hopefully not miss out anything from SDCC. Our 3rd live-stream will start at 3 p.m.!

Today Mick and Sven are in the studio and will introduce you to all the cool new things in the action-figure segment, from brands like Neca, Mattel, Mondo, Mezco, etc.

This time we are giving away a 1/4 scale Michael Myers figure by Neca as a goodie (perfectly matching the trailer of »Halloween Ends«) and exclusively present you the next S.P.A.C.E Postcard Collection motif for August!

A rough overview of what you can look forward to can be found here:

Stream #3
Saturday, July 23rd – 3 p.m.
Topic: Actionfigures (Neca, Mattel, Mezco, Mondo etc.)
Goodie: Sweepstakes of a 1/4 scale Michael Myers (Halloween) by NECA
Reveal: S.P.A.C.E Postcard Collection August 2022