Irwin Toy & IF Labs
Irwin and IF Labs were displayed together this year at Toyfair. Everyone there, from Gen Fukunaga on down, was bubbling with excitement over the upcoming lines, with good reason.
IF Labs had their first two lines of Dragonball and Dragonball Z Figures on display, click on the links below for images.
The Dragonball Z Movie Collection's second series will include Meta Cooler, Goku in Spacesuit, Krillin in Spacesuit, and Battle-Damaged Vegeta. Series 3 will segue the line from movie figures into tv series figures with Super Buu, Gotenks, Vegito, and SS3 Goku. Each figure will retail for approximately $15.
Dragonball's first series will include Goku & Boss Rabbit, Pilaf & Shao, Master Roshi w/Lounge Chair and Machine Gun Bulma. Series 2 will include Goku & Krillin, Mai, Launch and Yamucha & Puar. Series 3 will include Ox King, Murasaki, Jackie Chun, and Chi Chi. Each set will come in a window box, and will also retail for approximately $15.
Irwin Toy had some incredible figures on display this year. Though they didn't allow photos of many of the unapproved prototypes, they did allow us long shots of everything to give you a taste of what's to come.
Long Shot 1 - Action Figures, Striking Z Fighters, Secret Saiyan Warriors
Long Shot 2 - Secret Saiyan Warriors, Energy Glow Figures, Model Kits
Long Shot 3 - Model Kits, Small Vehicles, Large Vehicles
Wall o' Packages and Mockups
Irwin's bread and butter line, the "Super Articulated Action Figures" was quite impressive. The figures were crisp, and all were well-sculped. A few will still be undergoing sculping and color changes, but the line is mainly complete, concept-wise.
The lineups are as follows:
Series 8 will include SS Gohan, Videl, Dabura, SS Goten & SS Trunks and "Angelic" Goku.
Series 9 will include Hercule, Krillin, Pui Pui, Babidi and Majin Buu.
Series 10 will include SS Gohan (School Uniform), Bulma, Yamcha, SS Vegeta and Yakon.
Series 11 will include SS3 Goku, Gotenks, SS Gohan, Supreme Kai and Evil Buu.
Series 12 will include Mystic Gohan, SS Gotenks & 2 Kamikaze Ghosts, Tien (wearing cape), Vegito, and Super Buu.
Though they didn't allow photography of these figures, they did allow us to get exclusive images of two of the most interesting figures: Yakkon and Evil Buu.
Dragonballtoys.com and Figures.com are the only places you'll find detailed images of these figures!
Evil Buu - Shot 1
Evil Buu - Shot 2
Evil Buu - Shot 3
Yakkon - Shot 1
Yakkon - Shot 2
Yakkon - Shot 3
Yakkon - Shot 4
Yakkon - Shot 5
The second series of Striking Z Fighters, available in March, includes Great Saiyaman, Goku, Cell, and Krillin. The third series will include SS3 Gotenks, SS3 Goku, Dabura, and Super Buu. Buu will be made of stretchable platic to allow him to engulf other figures, as he does in the show before absorbing them.
Striking Z Fighters, Series 2 - Group Shot
Cell
Cell - In Packaging
Goku
Goku - In Packaging
Great Saiyaman
Great Saiyaman - In Packaging
Krillin
Krillin - Side View
Krillin - In Packaging
The second series of Secret Saiyan Warriors is a great improvement upon the first. Both Cell and Majin Buu look especially nice, as the "monster" forms work more easily with the medium than the human forms. Series 2 will include Majin Buu/Super Buu, Goku/SS3 Goku, Vegeta/Majin Vegeta, and Imperfect Cell/Perfect Cell.
Photos of these figures were not allowed, however, we were allowed to get exclusive images of the Majin Buu figure, to show the fans how far this line has come. Dragonballtoys.com and Figures.com are the only places you'll find detailed images of this figure!
Super Buu/Majin Buu - Shot 1
Super Buu/Majin Buu - Shot 2
Super Buu/Majin Buu - Rear View
Irwin is taking their Light & Sound figures a step further with their new line of "Energy Glow" figures, available this month. Thes figures are partly transluscent, and when attached to their bases, light up while a power-up sound is played. The effect is much cooler in person than in my poor description.
Series 1 will include Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan. Series 2, which will be available in early summer, will include SS3 Gotenks, SS Vegeta w/Halo, and SS3 Goku. These figures should retail right around $10.
Energy Glow figures - Group Shot
Gohan
Gohan - Rear View
Gohan - In Packaging
Goku
Goku - Rear View
Goku - In Packaging
Vegeta
Vegeta - Rear View
Vegeta - In Packaging
Irwin is also continuing its line of model kits into a third and fourth series. The third series, set for an April release, will include Android 16, Android 20, Perfect Cell, and Gohan. The fourth series, set for a June release, will include SS Gohan, Dabura, Great Saiyaman, and Spopovich.
And finally, Irwin will be continuing its vehicle line well into 2002, and every vehicle will come with an exclusive figures and other goodies. They have four small vehicles planned: the first two, set for an April release, will be a One-wheel Motorcycle and Capsule Corp Motorcycle #67. The second two, set for a June release, will be the Trunks hovercar and Vegeta's Saiyan Capsule (guess what the exclusives with those will be...). These will retail for around $15.
Box Mockups for One-wheel motorcycle and Capsule Corp Motorcycle (mockups not indicative of exclusive figure)
Box Mockups for Hovercar and Saiyan Capsule (mockups not indicative of exclusive figure)
Irwin is also releasing two more large vehicles, on scale with the Trunks Time Capsule. These will be the "Stomp Cycle", and the Red Ribbon Army Battlesuit. Each will come with an exclusive figure, and will retail for around $40.
Mockups of Stomp Cycle and Battlesuit Packaging (mockups not indicative...you get it by now)
Teaser image of Red Ribbon Battlesuit
All in all, Irwin and IF Labs have some great plans for 2002, and they have both increased their extremely helpful staff in order to make sure that everything makes it to stores and the media on a timely basis. Keep checking back for more details, which will be added once I get home from New York.