TOY NEWS FOR 10/30/2013 - HASBRO - 6" STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES - SERIES 3 - OFFICIAL PHOTOS

Here's a look at Sereis 3 of Hasbro's 6" Star Wars: The Black Series.

The big question is: where's the fourth figure?

Will it be the recently unveiled Anakin Skywalker? Will the case of four [smartly] consist of two Stormtroopers?

With this series only a few months out, we should know the answers to these questions sooner than later.

TOY NEWS FOR 10/30/2013 - HOT TOYS - MMS - 1/6 SCALE THOR: THE DARK WORLD - THOR (REGULAR VERSION) AND THOR (LIGHT ARMOR VERSION)

What's that tugging on my nipples? Why it's Hot Toys trying to milk me (and all of us) for every damned dollar they can!

You know that Hot Toys could have easily made this one figure with interchangeable parts, but instead they had to make two versions of the Thunder God just so they could get to that small group of collectors who will be compelled to get both versions.

Yeah, I griping, so sue me.

Bitching aside, this figure clearly exhibits the "wow factor" that we've come to expect from Hot Toys. What really impresses me is seeing how much their head sculpts continue to improve over time. They've always been the best in the business in that department, but looking at the progression of detail and likeness from the first Thor, to the Avengers version, and now this one, it's just amazing to see the progression in quality.

For me, though, I've got a nice Thor that I really like. Same with Loki. So who else will be made from the Thor: The Dark World film? We could see a new Odin, perhaps a Jane Foster-- a Lady Sif would be nice-- certainly a new Loki (as he's already been announced) and possibly the film's main villain Malekith.

Or, maybe Hot Toys will just stop with Thor and Loki. With all the other upcoming Marvel films coming next year (Captain America: Winter Soldier, Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Guardians of the Galaxy) Hot Toys is going to have a very full plate for the next few years, so perhaps they'll keep the Thor: The Dark World line rather small. On the other hand, knowing Hot Toys, they're going to make the grab for every dollar they can, and we'll see five or more figures from the movie!

Good thing for them that they're the best in the business and their figures never disappoint.

(LIGHT ARMOR VERSION)

They are slated for a September 2014 release for $229.99 each.

TOY NEWS FOR 10/30/2013 - SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES - DC COMICS - 1/6 SCALE BATMAN

Okay, let me just pose the question... Why is The Dark Knight dressed in such a fruity blue color?

Most Batman representations these days have him in a much darker shade of blue. There's a part of me that appreciates the fact that Sideshow is going with a different shade than most figures use these days, but the other part of me would really prefer a more "definitive" looking Batman.

When they first unveiled this like at the 2012 SDCC, Batman was wearing a much more preferable shade of blue, so I'm not sure why they decided on this light blue look.

Batman Prototype from SDCC 2012

Now I'm on the fence with this whole line because without a Batman that I can feel happy about dropping 200 bucks on, I might pass on it completely.

Colors aside, the figure itself looks absolutely awesome. It looks like part Jim Lee and part Simon Bisley.

I wouldn't be surprised if this figure sees an eventual re-release with the darker colors, but then again I'm not holding my breath, either.

He's available for pre-order now on Sideshow's site for $199.99 with a release date of August 2014.

TOY NEWS FOR 10/28/2013 - MAX FACTORY - FIGMA - INDIANA JONES

Man, what's up with Indy...? No matter what company produces a figure of this beloved character, they just never seem to get that Ford face right.

Don't get me wrong, you can tell it's Ford as Indy, but it's still not quite right... He looks too grumpy or sad. Not even the mighty Hot Toys seems capable of capturing that charm and playfulness that Ford brought to the role of Indiana Jones!

However, it looks like this figure will come with different heads to give your Indy different looks. Maybe one will stand out from the others as the more accurate head in person.

I'm tempted by this figure, but not quite sold on it.

I do find it cool that they include relics from all three of the original films, though.

His release date is set for March in Japan at a Yen price of Y4,800 (approx $50.00)