New York Toy Fair 2019: Kotobukiya

From Marvel Comics to My Little Pony, Kotobukiya is serving up some of the highest quality statues and figures of the year, on display at Toy Fair.

Kotobukiya is always one of my favorite stops each year at Toy Fair. I love the incredible high quality of their sculpts, their precise paint work, and the astounding level of detail in so many of their products, as well as the fun and inventive ways they merge Western properties with Eastern art styles and aesthetics.

2019 should be another great year for Kotobukiya, as they showcased a lot of excellent new products. The Fantastic Beasts Art FX+ figures are turning out absolutely gorgeous. Newt Scamander will be the first release this summer, followed by Dumbledore, then Grindelwald.

And one of my favorite among Kotobukiya’s collections– the Bishoujo series– will also see some incredible new releases. Toy Fair saw the debut of Shunya Yamashita’s artwork for the Street Fighter Karin statue, as well as a sample of the stunning Catwoman “2.0” release. Selina Kyle is resting on a pile of money and gold that serves as one of Kotobukiya’s most unique display bases, and her return to the Bishoujo Collection after so long will be welcome by many fans. Artwork for Mary Marvel was also shown, along with a teaser for another long-demanded Bishoujo Bat-villain… Poison Ivy, who will get her own “Version 2″ statue in 2020. The Joker will get his own Ikemen release, rounding out the Bat family series. His artwork was on display, and should make for a great foil to the striking unmasked Ikemen Batman.

On the Marvel Bishoujo front, the sculpt for Domino was shown, and it perfectly replicates Yamashita’s original design. On the horizon for Marvel is Dark Phoenix, her first time in the Bishoujo Collection since the statues were scaled up from 6.5″ to 8” years ago. And Scarlet, the first GI Joe Bishoujo release, also had a sculpt on display which was incredible to see. The energy in her pose, the intricate details on her costume, and her signature red hair made Scarlet one of the most impressive pieces in Kotobukiya’s display. She will be released this summer, to be followed by Baroness and Lady Jaye, at a price point similar to the fun My Little Pony Bishoujo series, which will continue to feature all six Ponies over the next two years.

The other highlight was a new format from Kotobukiya, the Art FX Premier series. These statues, based on Marvel’s most iconic heroes, combine the next-level detail of the larger scale Art FX Gallery statues, with the smaller scale and plastic materials of the Art FX+ figures. The result is amazing, the most highly detailed and intricate statues Kotobukiya has ever done in this scale. And Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Hulk all looked spectacular, with dynamic poses, distinct designs which pay tribute to their most famous costumes, and features the sculptor devoted as a character highlight for each piece– the tarnished metallic paint apps on Iron Man to convey a true sense his armor is made of metal… the slick spit emanating from Hulk’s rage-fueled scream… or the iridescent finish on Thor’s leg armor, which shifts from blue to pink to silver under light, evoking the Bifrost from his home in Asgard. It’s all very thoughtful, and elegant, and fits the high quality nature of this great new collection.

Take a look at our photos from Kotobukiya’s Toy Fair showcase below!