Each year my coverage of companies on the show floor of the New York Toy Fair gets longer and longer. In this article I’ll be focusing on some of the companies producing the hottest figures and statues on the market today. There’s a lot to cover so let’s not waste time and dive right in!
While I encourage you to check out every company I covered here is a list of companies covered in this article; a quick ctrl+f will shoot you over to the relevant company:
threezero , Bluefin Bandai, Enesco, Eaglemoss Hero Collector, Weta Workshop, 1000Toys, Iron Studios, Kotobukiya, Super7, Cryptozoic Entertainment, Square Enix, Good Smile Company, Mondo, Well Played Toys, Boss Fight Studio
threezero
www.threezerohk.com
threezero, founded by Kim Fung Wong, is one of the original producers of the Hong Kong designer figure style. The company is recognized by their iconic gasmask logo (designed by Michael Lau) and known for their many iterations of street-smart vinyl figures. Until late 2019 threezero was partnered with Ashley Wood under the World of 3A brand, they have however since parted ways. threezero continues to produce highly detailed and articulated figures based on many licensed products. At Toy Fair they were showing off a range of highly articulated figures in many of their lines including Transformers, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Destiny, The X-Files, Breaking Bad, Gundam, Ultraman, One Punch Man, and Berserk. A standout item for me was the threezerox Ryu Oyama Dark Baltan which is a Kaiju monster created in the ultraman series by prolific Japanese artist Ryu Oyama, a really stunning piece in person. One item of note is that these are 1/6 scale articulated figures but the amount of articulation on these are something to behold especially on some of their Transformers figures.
Bluefin/Bandai
https://www.bluefinbrands.com/
Bluefin is a leading North American master distributor of toys, collectibles, novelty and hobby products. Bluefin’s extensive catalog is highlighted by a diverse range of high quality, officially licensed products from leading brands and manufacturers from Japan, Hong Kong and the U.S. They are the official exclusive North American distributor for Bandai Collectors, aka “Tamashii Nations,” Bandai Hobby, Bandai Shokugan, Mr. Hobby and GSI Creos, SEN-TI-NEL, Flame Toys and is the exclusive U.S. distributor for Storm Collectibles. Bluefin is also the official North American consumer products and retail development partner for Studio Ghibli.
Take a look at all the items on display at their booth including Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Voltron, Power Rangers, Gundam, Godzilla, Star Wars, and Dragonball.
Transformers
Star Wars figures and kits
Marvel
DC
Dragonball
Godzilla
Gunpla
Mortal Kombat
Pokemon and Everything Else
Enesco
http://www.enesco.com/
A company I discovered three years ago when they started exhibiting, Enesco is an American company specializing in the sales and distribution of giftware most of which can be found in specialty card and gift retailers, home décor boutiques, as well as mass-market chains, and online retailers.. On display was their line of collectible figures. They have a display of products from almost all Disney animated movies as well as some DC statues and other lines include Harry Potter included in the mix. This year they had a The Nightmare Before Christmas piece that featured a floating Zero as well as an insanely accurate Elvira piece. I also really enjoyed seeing the stylized DC women in gowns.
Also on display was Miss Mindy’s ‘Cartoon Folk Art’ which features handcrafted sculptures of both original IP and licensed figures. Her amazing Vinyl Toys just drew me in and I felt the need to share these products with you. Her product lines continue to grow.
Finally a new collaboration was on display with Brazilian artist Romero Britto. Britto is known for his vibrant colors and bold patterns so it was interesting to see this on various Disney products. I am sure by Toy Fair 2021 we’ll see a DC line of products!
Eaglemoss Hero Collector
https://www.eaglemoss.com/en-us/
Eaglemoss is another company that I’ve been following for a few years now. I was first introduced to them at a Star Trek show, showing off their extremely large range of Star Trek ships. The company which has undergone a slight name revamp to Eaglemoss Hero Collector had a press breakfast on Sunday of Toy Fair where they showed off their new packaging for US distribution of Star Trek ships as well as many new products. In the ships line on top off Star Trek, Eaglemoss, produces replica ships for Battlestar Gallactica, Alien & Predator, and debuted ships from the show The Orville. But Eaglemoss doesn’t just do ships they are also in the figures game as well and that includes for Harry Potter, Alien & Predator, WWE, DC, Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, and Rick and Morty, however the newest line were a line of Marvel Metal Statues. For giftware Eaglemoss also produces Harry Potter themed scarves, cozies, socks, and door stoppers.
Press were also treated to a goodie bag. Thanks again to Eaglemoss for hosting us Sunday morning
Weta Workshop
https://www.wetanz.com/
WETA a creative development, publishing, weapons, props, creatures, make-up, miniatures, public art, and merchandise workshop works on top rated films such as Lord of the Rings, Ghost in the Shell, Warcraft, Alita, Ghostbusters, Chappie, District 9, and more. Based in New Zealand the company can be seen at many Comic Cons throughout the year with amazing displays. They have always produced amazing props and high end statues but they have gone full ahead into the stylized vinyl figures game with their Mini Epics and Micro Epics line. Both lines feature stylized designs and where the larger scale Mini Epics line feature posed figures the Micro line feature between two and five points of articulation. The Micro Epics line are also enclosed in a clear dome which allows you to stack them for display The bottom of these displays also rotate to allow you to move them around without taking off the dome.
I was also fortunate to receive a Mini Epics Lord of the Rings Witch-King figure. Check out some of the details on this figure. These were just a few quick snaps I will try to get some better images once things calm down a bit!
1000Toys
https://1000toys.jp/
Founded in 2012 and based in Japan 1000Toys produces 1/6 scale and 1/12 scale art toys. Their featured products include the “TOA Heavy Industries” line featuring their very popular Synthetic Human. While they did not have a booth at the New York Toy Fair there was a display of products from the Diamond booth including their 1/6 and 1/12 scale Synthetic Human as well as Hellboy, Iron Giant, Cuphead, Halo, and Ronin Warriors. I was talking a few minutes to some of the reps at Diamond Select as well as fellow press and industry friends and we all agree that 1000Toys continues to step up their game year over year and are a serious player in the game.
Iron Studios
www.ironstudios.com.br
Iron Studios arguably had the most epic piece at the show. A huge Marvel Sentinel piece. This statue was epic in proportions and detailing. The Brazilian company which specializes in the manufacture of collectible statues works with property licenses from Disney, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Star Wars as well as with many of todays hottest companies. They produces models in 1/10th scale and larger models in 1/6th and 1/4th scale. The statues are made from Polystone, a high-density resin that offers resistance to heat and humidity. Other figures included Marvel, DC, and Thundercats statues but man that Sentinel piece.
Kotobukiya
http://en.kotobukiya.co.jp/
Another regulare at Toy Fair and Comic Cons throughout the year Kotobukiya produces high quality Japanese figures and statues from a range of lines including Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Devil May Cry, Star Wars, Godzilla, and It to name a few.
Super7
https://super7.com/
Super7 this year has gone all out with their ReAction line. Providing quality figures for the discerning collector Super7 has a ReAction line for just about every property under the sun including of Maters of the Universe, Transformers, Aliens, Planet of the Apes, Street Fighter, and MLB figures and mascots on display. This year they expanded that into Peanuts, Toxic Crusader, Thundercats, Pee-Wee, Nightmare Before Christmas and even a Notorious BIG line. Super7 also produces halloween Monster Masks and pails other goodies. They also had a bunch of Maters of the Universe, Transformers, Aliens, Planet of the Apes, Street Fighter, and MLB figures and mascots on display. Finally they do continue to produce collector series Thundercats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures.
Cryptozoic Entertainment
https://www.cryptozoic.com/
Cryptozoic Entertainment, Inc. is a premier developer and publisher of original and licensed board games, card games, comics, trading cards, collectibles and vinyl figures. They produce DC vinyl figures in various sizes from Lil DC Comics Bombshells blind boxes to their DC Bombshells Golden Goddess line. Their DC Pumps line of stylized heels and their DC Teekeez line provides unique collectibles that I have not seen from other companies. For non-licensed products Cryptozoic continues their CryptkinsTM vinyl figures featuring creatures based on folklore such as Kraken, Cerberus, Unicorn, Gryphon, and Blue Dragon.
Outside of collectible figures Cryprtozoic dabbles in a bunch of other products including collectible trading cards, and board games.
Square Enix
https://na.square-enix.com/us/home
Square Enix Ltd. Creates some of the hottest games and some of the most stylized figures I have seen from these properties. Take a look below at their amazing products with some Kingdom Hearts figures, plush toys and a Final Fantasy traing card game. This year they also debuted three new Marvel figures (Captain America, Iron Man, and Iron Spider) which looked absolutely stunning.
Good Smile Company
https://www.goodsmile.info/en/
Another company that has gotten larger over the last few years at Toy Fair, Good Smile Company is a Japanese manufacturer of vinyl figures, large scale figures, and statues. Figures are based on anime, manga, and video games as well as licensed content such as DC, Disney, Overwatch, Zelda, Marvel, Harry Potter, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to name a few.
Outside the show floor they had a huge display of figures from all their product lines.
Mondo
https://mondotees.com
Like 1000Toys Mondo doesn’t have a booth at Toy Fair but rather gets a display in the Diamond Booth for their products. While they were showing off their Iron Giant and Mondoids the big reveal was the new Catwoman Captured figure which they announced last week.
Well Played Toys
https://www.wellplayedtoys.com/
Well Played Toys is a fast growing toy company with a portfolio of properties that entertain and inspire fans in film, animation, gaming, and more! At the New York Toy Fair they showed off a range of products but none as anticipated as figures (both 3.75” and 6”) from the Netflix Lost in Space series. One note, these are not final products and are still dealing with final approvals and other nuances.
Boss Fight Studios
https://boss-fight-studio-the-store.myshopify.com/
Boss Fight Studio (BFS) is a creator-owned company focused on high-quality, collectible toys. BFS products are known for having multiple articulation points, which allow for innovative and creative poses. The H.A.C.K.S. line is also fully customizable, which empowers collectors to build their own characters using pieces from the range. Many of the figures they produce are based on their own intellectual property. They have figures and animals as well as accessory kits to modify both. At the toy fair they also had their recently announced Flash Gordon figure on display!
Thanks of course go out to all the companies above for welcoming Hi-Def Ninja into their booths and showing us their newest offerings!
