Tomy figures for 2018!
This is a catalog page Tomy released for what they want to produce in 2018. Because it has photos of real figures, it doesn't land on prototypes. As you can see, they're attempting to improve the line range with both classic & modern, while not making everything simply 'Boom'. The first 2 are a regular modern Sonic & Knuckles. They're the same size as all their previous line (about 3.5 inch) & still lack all the JW joints. (So, no knee, elbow or wrist, just hip, shoulder & neck)
Page 2 is where it gets really interesting. They've added Super Sonic! And Shadow! And they look pretty good here too.
It's a good thing for fans who missed the JW versions and had nothing to buy. (JW figures are going up in price) The page also shows modern & classic Tails as well as Modern & Classic Metal Sonic. Both look pretty accurate and good, though their joints are fake.
Comic books! The fans have come to expect "comic & figure packs" but these are bringing something totally new! These aren't any old Archie stories, they're actual NEW art & stories made just for this release (somehow) So, this makes them more exciting/collectible than normal. A good & surprising move that Tomy chooses and adds value. SonicGear will publish the details when these are released.
Another page from the Tomy Toy Catalog 2018. Even more planned releases contain items never made as toys. Here you can see 2 versions for Amy Rose & 2 versions for Eggman. They look pretty good, but what's that with them? It's a metal collectors card! Amy's shows her going grocery shopping (why?) & Eggman's has him in an egg-shaped design. Seeing metal here is great, because it's tough & lasts really well in collections since it resists dirt/mold/fades etc.
The other page shows normal modern Sonic, Knuckles & Tails figures, but now they come with neutral chao. Sonic has an eyes-closed happy chao, Knuckles a pointy tooth grin chao & Tails an open eye smile chao. Each one has the same pose, and none have the yellow 'blushing' for the emotion ball or feet tips. So, choose your figure version carefully (Ex. not buying the modern Sonic/Knuckles 2-pack) so you don't end up with multiples of the same figure just to get a chao. The blue inset box up there explains what a chao is.
The bottom row contains the real excitement: Figures for Zavok of the Deadly 6 & also Infinite from Sonic Forces. Hopefully they're NOT a 3-pack with the Sonic there in the middle & you can buy each one separately so it doesn't end up costing a fortune. This entry will be updated when they are released. From the photo, everything looks pretty on model. Hopefully the Zavok is big though, because he was larger than other characters in the game. Catalog discovered by PatMac
The "Included All New Comics" MAY be the Sonic Channel Japanese-only ones, but translated. The art shown here is an actual match. Investigate at Sonic Channel. Info by BlueBlur
TODO: Actual figure pages as (most of) these are released