Skip to main content

Hasbro Marvel Legends Retro 375 Waves 1-6 and the Exclusive Phoenix/Wolverine two pack

 


Admittedly, it took me awhile to warm up to this line but once I did, I was all in. Wow, these toys are great. They may not be super articulated or come with great accessories but these look and feel like actual toys. That might seem like a silly statement, but think about it. In modern years, we have moved ever forward into the adult collectible genre. Everything is hyper detailed, hyper articulated, hyper accurate, and hyper expensive. Excluding price, that is all really cool but as the pendulum swung ever more toward that direction, the other side, the toy side, seemed to be left in the past. 

That has been a huge bummer for me. I don't know about anyone else, but as a kid, I always wished I was an adult with a job so that I can buy all the figures, vehicles, and playsets I wanted. Having adult money promised to remove the boundaries set on me by Christmas lists, Birthday surprises, and gift certificates. Then when I became an adult, toys shot up in price. Not all at once, mind you, but it's to the point now that finding 5 figures for $20 is a distant memory. In fact, finding 1 figure for $20 is now a stroke of luck. I know I have been kind of on a rant here, but these 3 3/4 figures from Hasbro not only look and feel like toys, they can be purchased like toys! I was able to get most of these figures for $9.99 each! That is definitely not 1995 Kenner Star Wars prices ($4.95) but it definitely feels like it and I absolutely love it!. The prices are so great that I was able to completely catch up on the line in less than a month with my adult money. I love that. But even more, I love the way these figures look. 

These toys seem to jump right out of the comic books that I grew up reading and they evoke memories of finding Secret Wars and Toy Biz Marvel Super Heroes figures in stores. I love the imagery of the blister cards and I love the era being showcased with the figure designs. If I could have one main gripe, it would be the pose of the figures. Every figure has that 1978 Kenner Chewbacca pose. The 'waiting for the bus' pose. It is so static and boring. I don't mind the lower articulation but if these toys had the hunched, battle ready poses of Secret Wars or even some of the poses of the POTF2 figures, it would help bring just a little more life to these super heroes. Another complaint I have is that the female figures all share a high heeled boot sculpt. That is fine when appropriate, like Storm and Jean Grey but figures like Elektra and Sue Storm would have definitely benefited from a separate sculpt. However, if it keeps the prices at toy prices, I can totally look past it.

Okay, enough words for awhile, here are the toys!

The X-Men


























Fantastic Four



















The Avengers





















































Marvel Super Heroes

















Anti Heroes and Villains 

































Whew! That's a lot of toys! And I bought them all with my adult money without having to miss a meal. This is what I want as a toy collector. More toys and at toy prices. And this line seems to be far from over. We already have the next wave teased along with a deluxe figure! Excelsior! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Toy Biz DC Superheroes Flash v2, Hawkman, Two Face

I started getting back into the DC Superheroes line early last year. Even though the Kenner Super Powers line is superior in a lot of ways, this line has a nostalgic value for me. Recently, I was able to add three more figures to my collection: Hawkman, Two Face, and the second version of the Flash! Version 2 is a HUGE upgrade over Version 1. V2 Flash doesn't rely on a wind up action feature so it actually has arm articulation. Now Flash can actually do some better posing... let alone throw a punch! V2 Flash also comes with a Quicksilver/Silver Surfer-esqe platform. It even moves forward on its own if you pull it backwards.  Toy Biz vs Kenner. The Kenner figure is obviously the better choice. Just one look at his weapon and his head sculpt and that is obvious. However, there is a dumb charm to the Toy Biz figure and I'm happy to have him. I really like this Two Face figure. He has a winding feature for flipping his...

Toy Biz Marvel Superheroes The Thing

Christmas time this year saw some great additions to my Toy Biz Marvel Superheroes collection. This time in the form of the Thing. The Human Torch was one of the first MSH's I owned as a kid. Six years ago, I was able to add Mr. Fantastic. This past year, I added the Invisible Woman but now the collection is complete! Ol' Blue Eyes If you can't smash the Yancy Street gang, might as well clobber their sign. The family is finally together! You don't want to be on the other side of this fight. Size comparison of my current heavy hitters.

Custom Kang the Conqueror Toy Biz Kenner Marvel Superheroes

Kang has been my favorite super villain since I got his Secret Wars action figure as a kid. Something about that striking blue mask peeking out of the ominous purple and green has always stuck with me. Growing up, I devoured every Kang story that I could. Citizen Kang always stuck out as it finally showed a Kang victorious, albeit for a moment, hiding in between our realities.  However, I have to say that my favorite incarnation of the future warlord came from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes by Christopher Yost. I think he really nailed down the best parts of the character and gave us an arc that not only satisfied you as viewer but left you waiting for Kang's revenge.  I decided to take my Secret Wars Kang and combine him the Kenner Super Powers Lex Luthor to make a figure in scale with my Marvel Superheroes.                           Baron Strucker, Doctor Doom, and Kang Conqu...

Bandai Thundercats Tower of Omens Playset

I'm resigned to the idea that I will more than likely never own a Cat's Lair playset. I was truly hoping that we would get one with Funko after seeing the DC Primal Age set but after all of the production snafus, it seems like Funko is washing their hands of the scale. I hope I'm wrong. Anyway, the original Cat's Lair is hard to get ahold of and the ones available online are hugely overpriced in my opinion. I've known about this playset from the 2011 series for a long time but now that I have the Funko figures it felt like a good time go for it. The scaling is NOT perfect at all but it does make a nice display piece. Plus, these are dirt cheap. I've seen some as low as $10. Here is the completed set. Basically a giant cat's head, gate, and tower. The set has magnetic Thunderlynx features. If you use the intended figures, the doors will open automatically on the gate and the towers Cat symbol will light up with a voice yelling, "Thundercats, Ho!...

GoBots Leader 1, Fitor, Cy-Kill, Transformers Generations Optimus Prime, and Power Warrior Courageous

It was a busy mail day as I add on to my GoBots collection. Today I was able to add Leader 1, Cy-Kill, and Fitor. Pretty neat to get three heavy hitters in one day. They are all in pretty good condition too. Cy-Kill's wheels are a little loose but beyond that they seem great! Leader 1 He came with a hologram sticker of Turbo from the Animated Series   Jet mode comparison with one of the Aerialbots. Taking charge in the Command Center Fitor This picture doesn't do his vehicle mode justice. He's a cool ship. Cy-Kill Cy-Kill is a ridiculously expensive figure but I was lucky to find him at a reasonable price. I hope others are able to do the same because he's pretty cool. A much more harmonious relationship than Megatron and Starscream. The big three. Just need Coptur to complete the top level of the Renegades. Comparison with G2 Decepticons. Forever foes. -------...