News

Today is going to be fast-paced because »Gran Turismo« is hitting cinemas! The film adapts the video game series of the same name and is based on the life story of Jann Mardenborough who went from gamer to racer.

The young Jann (Archie Madekwe) dreams of a career in motorsports but so far has only been on a virtual racetrack in the game Gran Turismo - until a competition gives him the opportunity to prove his skills behind the wheel.

As much of the film as possible was filmed on actual racetracks with the actors driving themselves while some of the stunts were done by the real Jann Mardenborough. The cast includes some familiar faces such as David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Djimon Hounsou.

According to first reviews the film, despite some flaws, inspires with passionate acting and great camerawork and offers a good time in the cinema, even for viewers without much knowledge of the game and sport.

Yesterday Apple TV+ published a trailer for the fantasy-horror-series »The Changeling«:
https://youtu.be/i3jjAm2dBeo

The show is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Victor LaValle and tells the story of Apollo (LaKeith Stanfield) and Emma (Clark Backo) who live an almost fairy tale like life together - until Emma commits a terrible act after the birth of their child and vanishes under mysterious circumstances. On his search for her, Apollo embarks on an odyssey through a bizarre world beyond imagination.

The trailer looks very high-class and lures us in with its atmosphere. We are absolutely pleasantly surprised by the quality of the content that Apple TV+ is delivering and are already excited for this release. »The Changeling« starts streaming on the 8th of September.

We don't live in easy times. All the adversities of recent years, starting with Covid, are also affecting the toy/collectibles industry. Founded in Birmingham in 2011, Big Chief Studios has now filed for bankruptcy and is closing production forever.

In their 12 years of work they had primarily concentrated on sixth scale figures from films and series 'made in the UK'. They had their biggest figure output with their »Doctor Who« license but also released other collectibles from the TV shows »Sherlock«, »Peaky Blinders« and »Space: 1999« and from films like »James Bond« and »Flash Gordon«.

Managing Director Mark Andrews explained that after surviving the global pandemic, numerous knock-on effects had brewed into a storm that has resulted in prolonged delays in both the manufacturing and release of BCS products. The current cost-of-living crisis and economic downturn resulted in a drop in sales, which seriously hampered their ability to continue and also prevented them from negotiating the renewal of their key licenses.

Ultimately, it was concluded that the company was no longer able to pay its debts and continue in business, and with a heavy heart they decided to liquidate the company voluntarily.

So, after more than 10 years in the collectibles world, Big Chief Studios is pulling the plug. For us collectors, this also means that long-awaited figures that were still in the pre-order phase will definitely no longer be released, such as the Laurel & Hardy figures that had been announced three years ago.

With Big Chief Studios, one of the rare European manufacturers says goodbye. After they had found their niche with British themes they’re now leaving a gap there and will definitely be missed.

This weekend the STAR TREK LAS VEGAS CONVENTION is taking place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to a gigantically long list of star guests from 57 years of Star Trek, the exhibitor EXO-6 is of course of particular interest to us collectors. With a lot of love for the franchise, the company of Star Trek hardcore fan Nanjin Tam manufactures 1/6 figures from all series and films. At the con in Las Vegas, EXO-6 splashed out and again showed a gigantic line-up with 10 new characters. So Star Trek fans, take a deep breath and have your gold-pressed latinum ready.

From »Star Trek: The Next Generation« comes a new Captain Jean-Luc Picard. »Voyager« fans will be happy to see Lt. B'Elanna Torres and Neelix. From »Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan« comes Kirstie Alley as Saavik and from »Star Trek III: The Search for Spock « we meet none other than Christopher Lloyd as Klingon Commander Kruge, who is up for pre-order in our shop right now:
https://www.space-figuren.de/Filme/Star-Trek/1-6-Scale-Klingon-Commander-Kruge-Star-Trek-3-The-Search-for-Spock::26079.html

Five characters from the new Star Trek series »Strange New Worlds« are making their 1/6 debut: Captain Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley (Number One), Spock, Nurse Christine Chapel, and La'An Noonien-Singh. There will also be a whole series of 7-inch statues for the »Lower Decks« animation series.

That's good news for the Trekkies among you. In this sense: Collect long and prosper!

Attention Turtles fans: your favourite green heroes are back in theaters because »Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem« is coming to the silver screen!

In the movie the brothers Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello try to take on villainous mutants to fight for the love and acceptance of the humans.

A pleasant surprise is the decision to have the Turtles be voiced by actual teenagers (Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon). Even apart from them, the movie boasts a great cast with Jackie Chan as Master Splinter, Paul Rudd, John Cena, Maya Rudolph and many others. Seth Rogen, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Jeff Rowe and others involved, also has a role.

The animation captivates you with its unique sketchy look which captures the grimy yet colourful nocturnal New York. According to the first reviews we're in for a film with lots of energy, humour and heart. We're super excited already and also wish you a lot of fun in the cinema! Cowabunga!

If you missed »Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3« in the cinema, starting today you have the opportunity to stream the film on Disney+ - provided you have a subscription to the Mouse. All that's missing is popcorn and drinks.

We wish you a lot of fun on the sofa with Star-Lord, Rocket & Co. 😀!

We present to you episode no. 5 of 💫 NEUES AUS DEM FIGUREN UNIVERSUM 💫! This one is practically a special edition, in which we talk about the most exciting new figures and reveals from 3 conventions in Asia. The focus is on Hot Toys who's currently causing a stir with their "Artisan Edition" line and reacting to the challenging competitor INART!

Check it out - now on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/a2HXoWYYnpg

If you have watched Tobi and Sven in our ABGESPACED episode 28 in February of this year like they were cheerfully playing with the Mario Kart PVC statues by the manufacturer FIRST 4 FIGURES, you probably were able to feel their enthusiasm - and perhaps could even share it 😀!

Some months have passed, the pleasant anticipation on the availability of the Collector's Edition got higher and higher - and soon the wait will be over: besides the regular version, the more extravagant Mario PVC statue in the Collector's Edition from the classic game »Mario Kart« is finally on its way to us. And yes, you are right - we agreed with the most beloved plumber in the world ‍🔧 back in February already that he will of course be elected as a product of the month as soon as he will rush in 😜.

All pre-ordering customers can take the starting position in the next coming days. And whoever wants to join the race on a short notice still can grab a seat (or a copy of this cool collectible) fast 💨🤩!

Yesterday, the first trailer for the second season of »Loki« was released. It looks damn good and makes us excited for the start of the season on October 6th! Convince yourself: 
https://youtu.be/dug56u8NN7g

Apart from the Guardians, neither the last Marvel films nor series could really inspire. Recently »Secret Invasion« bored audiences. The trailer for »Loki« however starts off with a bang. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson) meet Ke Huy Quan, who recently won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the better Multiverse movie »Everything Everywhere All at Once«. Nice Move, Marvel!

If we can believe the trailer, Hiddleston and Wilson have more screentime together this time, which makes us happy because the chemistry between the two is just right. There’s a reunion with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) and 'He Who Remains' Jonathan Majors aka Kang also makes an appearance. 

It all looks very promising and it's high time that Marvel focused more on quality again, because pure content generation is certainly not going to keep subscribers on board.

The »Saw« movies always worked best with John Kramer (Tobin Bell). With the character now deceased, Lionsgate brings us the untold chapter of Jigsaw's most personal game in the 10th part of the series, placing the storyline between the events of Saw I and II.

A desperate John Kramer travels to Mexico to undergo a risky and experimental medical procedure that could cure his cancer, only to discover the entire operation is a scam. There is no question that Kramer takes this very personally and deals with the fraudsters in a creative and perfidious way...

The first trailer for »Saw X« is out now: 
https://youtu.be/t3PzUo4P21c

»The Exorcist« from 1973 is considered a great classic of the horror genre and a real benchmark against which all later exorcism films have to be measured. Earlier this week, Universal and Blumhouse released a trailer for a sequel, which is set to hit theaters in October. Here it is:
https://youtu.be/PIxpPMyGcpU

The movie was directed by David Gordon Green, who also brought us the last »Halloween« trilogy, which started out quite promising, but then mercilessly bogged down. As with »Halloween«, the film was originally supposed to be called just like the original, »The Exorcist«, but it has been changed to »The Exorcist: Believer«. The film is a sequel to the William Friedkin film and ignores all other parts. Like Jamie Lee Curtis, the female protagonist Ellen Burstyn returns as Chris MacNeil and in the case of the exorcist, a trilogy is planned as well. Let's hope that with so many parallels, the quality of the films doesn't turn into a kind of Halloween déjà vu experience.

The trailer has some pretty spooky moments that make us cautiously optimistic, so we'll wait and see. On that note: "The power of Christ compels you!”

Thursday is cinema day! Today, »Talk to Me« is flickering across the silver screens. The debut film by the Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou triggered a veritable hype from critics. It’s an absolute must-see for the horror fans in the S.P.A.C.E Crew.

The second theatrical release also has something to do with horror, but approaches its subject in a comedic way. We're talking about the second film adaptation of the Disneyland theme park attraction »Haunted Mansion«. A lot of money was put in on stars and effects, but of course that doesn't necessarily make a good film. We don't really feel like it’s worth going to the cinema for but we'll soon be watching the film on Disney+ on a rainy Sunday afternoon on our sofas.

In our coverage of SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2023 there's, of course, one who can't be missing: NECA! The front runner in the actionfigures area once again had a lot to show this year. As expected, fans of the horror and the Turtles especially can look forward to a good amount of new stuff. But there were also many interesting reveals for Predator, Gargoyles, Dungeons & Dragons and more. Sven and Tobi looked into it for you and present to you the highlights in this video:
Check it out:
https://youtu.be/UOBnPMfffqs

In the 12th video of our SDCC 2023 feature Sven and Mick tell you about a manufacturer that's new and so far unknown (to us): Syndicate Collectibles. They were able to show some really cool actionfigures and statues at this year's Comic Con and especially convincing are their uncommon and exciting licenses. Among them are cult classics like True Romance, Bloodsport, Ghoulies and even the ladies from Golden Girls!

Check it out:
https://youtu.be/QDMKTOw7f9E

Video no. 11 of our SDCC 2023 feature is all about New Zealand manufacturer Weta Workshop! Sven and Tobi didn't just go through the collectibles presented at Weta's own online expo, they also stopped by in San Diego to marvel at the amazing new Masters Collection Statue.

Get ready for a bunch of new Mini Epics, great 1/6 collectibles, mini statues and a very special highlight from the Masters Collection!
https://youtu.be/jN7dHQ_v0Lw

We're super excited to present to you the 10th video of our SDCC 2023 feature already! This one is all about Diamond Select Toys and Gentle Giant, who yet again have a big presence at this year's Comic Con. Sven and Mick went through the many figures, statues and busts at their booth and tell you about their highlights. There are great collectibles to discover for fans of Lord of the Rings, House of the Dragon, Star Wars and other big franchises!
https://youtu.be/KzgVcMyyRRM

And we're not done yet! Our next videos about the Comic Con are already in the works and you can expect to see them the next days 😄.

For those among you who are already yearning for season 4 of »The Boys«, there will soon be a spin-off, which might be able to sweeten the waiting time for you: »Gen V«! After SDCC, the first teaser trailer for the series was released retroactively yesterday:
https://youtu.be/mmkLMXN_lpI

The show, which is also based on the »The Boys« comics, tells the story of adolescent supes who compete against each other for the top spots at Godolkin University For Crimefighting. But something strange seems to be afoot there ...

The trailer looks great and promises a spin-off, which is equal to »The Boys« in terms of entertainment and gore. »Gen V« starts streaming on the 29th of September on Prime Video.

As most of you probably know, it's not just the authors who are currently striking in Hollywood, but the actors as well. But why are the WGA and SAG-AFTRA actually striking and what are their demands? How does this affect the media landscape as well as this year's Comic Con? These are the questions Sven discusses in the 9th video of our SDCC 2023 feature with his guest Marcel, who gives his own perspective as a film maker.

But that's not all: Despite the restrictions at the SDCC and the lack of big actor/studio panels, some exciting trailers were dropped in the time around the Comic Con! We compiled the highlights for you.

You can find the video here:
https://youtu.be/LcQ8OJivplo
 

At the SDCC 2023 we got an exclusive booth tour from Iron Studios for you. Alexandre guides us through the stand and presents us with the newest collectibles. Afterwards, Sven and Mick review and chat about the highlights. And last but not least, we have something to raffle off from the Brazilian manufacturer!

Curious? Tune in - now on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/heB4hUHpT8k

Have fun watching!

And we already have the next video for you, this time about the market-leader for 1/6 collectibles - Hot Toys!

During the Sideshow Con several exciting new figures from the manufacturer were revealed. Sven and Mick summarized the highlights for you and have some good news for fans of Marvel and Star Wars in particular. And on top, some interesting new licenses were announced...

Check it out:
https://youtu.be/u_PFPJFyNi8