Kotobukiya’s amazing display at Toy Fair offered an exciting look at their 2015 lineup.
Kotobukiya remains my favorite import company, thanks to their vast range of properties, diverse product offerings, and attention to fantastic detail in both sculpt and paint work. Their collectibles are next level stuff, and 2015 was no exception.
Marvel and DC made up a big portion of Kotobukiya’s Toy Fair showcase. The centerpiece of the display were the Hulk and Hulkbuster Iron-Man ArtFX+ statues, with linking bases to pit them in epic combat. These are the biggest and most intricately detailed ArtFX+ pieces ever made, and they are truly stunning. Hulkbuster will retail for about $200, while Hulk will fetch $70. I love the metallic paint on Iron-Man, the torn up pavement under the feet of both giants, and the sense of energy in their combat-ready poses. It all makes for a truly stunning display.
A third Avengers: Age of Ultron piece will be released, an ArtFX scale Iron-Man in his Mark 43 armor. He will be joined this year by the Deadpool ArtFX+ statue, available in both classic red and a grey Previews exclusive costume. Both Deadpools feature a removable sword which can be replaced by a whiteboard sign, complete with dry erase marker and eraser so you can add your own custom message.
The Avengers ArtFX+ line is complete, and now Kotobukiya will turn their attention to the X-Men, kicking off with Cyclops, then Emma Frost, then Magneto as the first three. Based on artwork by Adi Granov and sculpted by Junnosuke Abe, these 1/10 scale statues are sure to please any fan of Marvels mutant heroes.
The popular Bishoujo line will also continue, with Jubilee available now, followed by She-Hulk this summer, The Wasp in the fall and Lady Deadpool set to be released in early 2016.
DC fans aren’t coming up short this year, either. The New 52 ArtFX+ line will continue with Red Hood, and a very cool new Super Powers ArtFX+ line will launch this summer. These 1/10 scale statues feature the classic DC heroes as they appeared in Kenner’s vintage toy line, with classic costumes and bright colors. To complete the effect of the old school toys, the statues even have their points of articulation sculpted into them, and the first piece, Superman, will even feature a swap-out arm with sculpted motion lines to simulate the original toy’s punching action feature. This alternate arm may be a first0run exclusive, so if you want the coolest version of Koto’s Super Powers Superman, preorder yours early to be safe.
The Super Powers collection will feature soft goods capes, and a remarkably low $30 retail price. Superman kicks things off, followed by Green Lantern, The Flash, Batman, Robin, Hawkman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Once the eight core heroes are released, Kotobukiya plans to switch over to the villains in 2016.
The truly stunning ArtFX Wonder Woman statue is available now, and Kotobukiya offered an early look at the fourth figure in this collection, The Flash. Based off an illustration Jim Lee sketched live at a recent event, The Flash will fit in perfectly among his fellow Justice Leaguers, and Kotobukiya hopes to bring Green Lantern to this high end line in 2016.
On the DC Bishoujo front, Batwoman will be released next month, followed by Zatanna this summer. Raven and Black Canary are both slated to hit shelves later in 2015.
While there was nothing to show just yet, Kotobukiya also announced they are launching a line of Aliens ArtFX statues, based on the iconic creatures from the film series. Sadly, there are no immediate plans for an Ellen Ripley Bishoujo figure, but Koto did say coyly that the idea wasn’t entirely “off the table.”
In the meantime, we will see a new line of Halo ArtFX+ statues, which are designed to showcase the various armors seen throughout the game series. The statue starts with a standard black suited buck body, to which you can attach various armors to make Master Chief or any number of Spartan soldiers. The Halo ArtFX+ figures will feature articulation at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and torso, allowing each figure to be posed differently in a display. The initial buy-in set will feature a base body and Master Chief’s armor, with two unique armor sets being offered as well. In the future, Kotobukiya plans to release more armor sets, including some exclusives, as well as some blank buck bodies to gear up.
The Street Fighter Bishoujo collection will continue with new additions such as Juri, Sakura, and Poison, and Tali’zorah will join the slowly-growing Mass Effect Bishoujo line by the end of the year. I was very excited to see Metal Gear Solid getting the Bishoujo treatment, with Sniper Wolf tapped as the first figure in the line. While only her silhouette was shown at Toy Fair, I have no doubt Shunya Yamashita’s design for this killer will be, um, killer.
Star Wars will continue under Kotobukiya’s skilled hand, as well, with the Snowtrooper scheduled to join the ArtFX+ line, following Han and Chewbacca and Luke and Leia. Koto also revealed their Celebration exclusive for the year, a two-pack of droids, R3-A2 and K-3PO. These two droids will make their debut at Celebration this April, and come packed with a special collector’s coin. The exclusive set will be available in limited quantities at kotous.com after the show, as well.
Kotobukiya is offering a big, bold and diverse year of collectibles in 2015, all of which feature the amazing sculpting skills and strong design which have made them a name in high end statues and collectibles. It’s a site to behold their display every year at Toy Fair, and there are some gems in their collection this year that will easily stand among their very best releases.
Check out our gallery for a look at all of Kotobukiya’s 2015 products!
