“Database Entry Added”: A Look at ACToys’ Assassin's Creed Character Blind Box

Assassin's Creed Blind-Box Vinyl Figure Case of 6:

"Assassin's Creed" is an action-adventure game series developed by Ubisoft Montreal Studio. The game series is an action game with a high degree of freedom and beautiful graphics as its biggest selling point. Players will control an assassin in each game, bringing players a deep sense of substitution by cleverly interspersing important historical figures and historical events in the mission.

Each Assassin's Creed Blind-Box Vinyl Figure Case includes 6x blind packaged figures.

Please note: Item selection is random. Items are in blind packaging. We cannot accept requests for specific items, nor can we accept returns on opened items. You may receive duplicates.Breakdown not available at this time.

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​Our factory package guarantees that there will be no missing or duplication of characters in a set, as long as the agent does not change the package.

Welcome to another Assassin's Creed merchandise review, this time, unboxing the new Assassin's Creed Character Blind Box figures by AC Toys, who we would like to thank for sending a review copy.

Blind boxes originated in Japan as fukubukuro (Japanese for “lucky bag”) during the 1980s, and were sold during the New Year as a random assortment of items at a discounted price. The excitement of not knowing what you would receive made these a very popular gift and would have people lined up for blocks to get one for themself. Over the course of the last decade this trend has seen a spike in popularity with the growing trend of unboxing videos, loot crates in video games, and collectors attempting to complete the full set of all the prizes one would find in a series of blind boxes.

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Blind boxes can be found for all kinds of pop culture, from artistic pieces produced by brands like TokiDoki with various colours or designs of unicorns, to video games such as Overwatch with small representations of the characters in their roster. Boxes are sold individually or in cases that would contain multiple figures in small bags or packaging. The average blind box would show the various items one could obtain when opening the surprise pack and would include the odds of finding each character based on the number of boxes purchased (though not guaranteed). Blind boxes that would list items as a 1:5 would be something that you could find easily and possibly receive duplicates, whereas a 1:50 odds would mean you as the consumer would have a better chance of locating a rare figure if you purchased an equivalent number of blind boxes. Rare, or “Chase” figures would normally be included in a series as the “holy grail” of said release and in my experience would be hidden even further by depicting the item on the packaging as a silhouette instead of an image of the item itself.

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Ubisoft has worked with blind box lines in the past, releasing small cartoon style figures from Jazwares, the previous manufacturer of their collectable action figures, to keychains or “hangers” of characters from the Assassin’s Creed franchise. While they are no longer sold in stores, these collectibles can be found on sites like Ebay or other digital marketplaces in bulk at various prices based on the popularity of the series or the popularity of the individual character. Retail stores would even have exclusive characters that you could only find by purchasing the blind box at their store, marked with a “Only at” or “Exclusive” label on the packaging. I myself has purchased a full case of the Jazware blind boxes to find a full set with a few duplicate Assassins and learned after that the American video game store, GameStop had a limited “Master Ezio” in his black robes from Assassin’s Creed Revelations that I had to purchase separately at a higher price due to its rarity.

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It had been a long time since Ubisoft had released any form of blind box for its properties as they had a larger focus on individual series of figures or statues such as their “Ubisoft Heroes” collection. Then in January of 2022, ACToys, a Chinese figure manufacturer, teased on Twitter that a new line of their pre-painted figures were coming for Assassin’s Creed. The figures were visible enough in the image (shown below) to see who was going to be included, but not so clear that you could see the details of each character. Two days later, they unveiled the full set of six characters from Assassin’s Creed, three pairings from the Ezio Collection, AC III, and Black Flag.

Fans took to the artistic style of these figures immediately and began asking if they would be available worldwide. Seeing characters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Haytham Kenway, who did not have a lot of representation in merchandise previously, made fans even more excited. Unfortunately, fans would learn that the figures would be sold only in China and other Asian markets. However, at the time of this article, I have been able to find import shops which offer worldwide shipping such as Entertainment Earth, and Big Bad Toy Store that are taking pre-orders for the series that is set to be available in October 2022.

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The Ones Who Came Before were given the chance to preview these figures thanks to ACToys who sent a case of six blind boxes to myself for review. In the continuing text of this article, I will give my honest opinion of these figures and why I think it is worth trying to purchase a set for yourself as a collector or fan of the Assassin’s Creed games.

I received the box in mid-July and from the start knew this was a quality product based on the packaging of the case alone. As shown in the image above, the case included six blind boxes with the collector's guide displayed on both the case and individual box sides. The case itself is perforated in two locations, on the lid so that it can be folded to display the Assassin’s Creed logo (as shown) and diagonally from the top of the case at the back, to the lower front end where removing the excess packaging would display the boxes in a tray that makes removing them easier for a retail environment. I personally won't be doing the latter of the display options as it would remove the listing of certain characters with the torn section. 

On the packaging next to the image of each character, is their name in Japanese, however, the odds of finding each figure are not stated, as I was sent a full case which included one of each character. This is beneficial for those that want to collect a full set, but can make it difficult to find the character of your choice when purchasing individually as there is no way to tell which character is in which box. On the back of the packaging is a warning that the figures are suitable for players over 15 years old and that these are for display only and could be damaged if played with. As most of the figures include small parts such as swords or an arrow, there is always the worry of smaller children misusing the product or trying to consume it.

The figures are packaged in a locking plastic mold and covered with a thin sheet of plastic to protect the figure during transportation. Each character (regardless of faction affiliation) comes with a plastic base that resembles cobblestone flooring displaying the Assassin insignia. Small pegs will hold the character securely in place, allowing them to stand up. While these figures do not have movable limbs, the accessories can be positioned as you see fit. In addition, each figure is accompanied by an art card with the character’s image and name displayed, the back of which shows the same design as the one on the front of the blind box. The figures stand at 10.5 cm with the 7 cm diameter baseplate and weigh around 65 grams.

The first character I unpackaged was Ezio Auditore staged in his iconic pose from the cover of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. His detailed white robes with Assassin insignia, bracers and double hidden blades (which are sharp at the points, ouch!) are present. His face is shown with his characteristic smirk and very vibrant hazel/brown eyes. The detail of the paint work by artist Alohell, even shows the scar on Ezio’s lip that he received from a thrown rock by rival Vieri de’ Pazzi at the beginning of Assassin’s Creed II.

To partner with Ezio is his close friend, the artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. Based on his character art from Assassin’s Creed II, Leonardo holds a compass and his flying machine replica that was scaled for use by Ezio when infiltrating the Palazzo Ducale to save the Doge of Venice, Giovanni Mocenigo.

From Assassin’s Creed III, Ratonhnhaké:ton, better known as Connor Kenway, comes with his bow and a single arrow that is knocked into his hand. With this figure, it took me a bit to balance the arrow as everytime I picked it up it would fall off. I fixed this by paying closer attention to where I was setting the arrow and making sure that it was pushed into the groove of his fingers correctly.

I also was disappointed that his face is not as visible as the other characters but this is due to the design being based on the artwork of the game where his face is hidden as well. I enjoy the figure regardless, but I do favor the others more.

The second figure from AC III is Haytham Kenway, Connor’s father. I had trouble finding the affiliated artwork that this design of the Templar Grandmaster was based on. He comes with an attachable sword and wields his hidden blade that he stole from the Assassin Miko during Assassin’s Creed II. Haytham’s face shows his age through the fold lines on his skin, and the back of his cape shows the Templar Cross in its design.

Finally from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag comes the duo of Edward Kenway and Edward “Blackbeard” Thatch, pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy. Both figures come with an attachable sword (or two in Blackbead’s case), and are based on official artwork from the game. Out of all of the characters in this series, I find these two to be my favorites as Kenway’s design was instantly recognizable from the cover of the game’s art book, and I have always loved the character Blackbead as he was depicted in the game. Unlike Leonardo and Haytham, Blackbeard has had previous merchandise releases so this new figure is a great addition to any Assassin’s Creed or pirate fan.

ACToys’ Assassin’s Creed Blind Boxes retail for 95 Yuan (£11.86 GBS/$14.06 USD) and again are available for purchase in China exclusively. However, as I stated at the start of this article, I have been able to locate full sets for roughly $100 USD online. ACToys has stated in response to multiple inquiries on Twitter that they are looking at expanding into additional international markets, but do not have any additional information on when this could happen. As a pre-order bonus or early adopter bonus, a limited edition metal pin of Leonardo’s flying machine is packaged within the box with Leonardo, so fans that purchase a box could get that extra bonus for free! I asked ACToys for the number of pins that were produced but they are keeping that information close to the chest, so if you have interest in these, I would look at getting a set as soon as you can.

Fans also asked about missing favorites such as Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad from the first Assassin’s Creed game and ACToys replied and confirmed with myself via private message that they are in active discussions with Ubisoft about a second series of figures. For fun, I think the following characters should be used for the second wave of figures. 

• From Assassin’s Creed, Altaïr and his mentor Al Mualim.

• From Assassin’s Creed Unity, Arno Dorian and Élise de la Serre.

• From Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Jacob and Evie Frye or Henry Green as a standalone character.

• From Assassin’s Creed Origins, Bayek of Siwa and Aya of Alexandria.

• From Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Kassandra and her brother Alexios (Deimos), I would also love to see Barnabus or Herodotus as well.

• From Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Evior Varinsdottir and Basim Ibn Ishaq as we have not received any figure or statue of the Assassin yet.

What characters would you like to see ACToys produce in a future series?

Leave a comment below or let us know on Twitter @ACFirstCiv, @Isu_Network, or myself directly @thelordreylus.