Monday, January 14, 2013

TOY NEWS FOR 1/10/2013 - HASBRO - MARVEL UNIVERSE - TEAM PACKS SNEAK PEEK

UPDATE 1/14/2013 - PICS OF PACKAGED SETS

Hasbro Marvel Universe West Coast Avengers Set

Hasbro Marvel Universe West Coast Avengers Set

Hasbro Marvel Universe Uncanny X-Men Set

Hasbro Marvel Universe Uncanny X-Men Set

Hasbro Marvel Universe Inhumans Set

Hasbro Marvel Universe Inhumans Set

This is the first time we're seeing pics of the actual production versions of these figures.

First unveiled at SDCC back in July, here were get a look at the figures from the upcoming Marvel Universe 3-Packs featuring the X-Men (Longshot, Rogue & Wolverine) and The West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye, Mockingbird & War Machine).

Hasbro Marvel Universe West Coast Avengers Hawkeye figure
Hawkeye

Hasbro Marvel Universe West Coast Avengers Mockingbird figure
Mockingbird

Hasbro Marvel Universe West Coast Avengers War Machine figure
War Machine

Hasbro Marvel Universe X-Men Longshot figure
Longshot (complete with 80's mullet)

Hasbro Marvel Universe X-Men Wolverine figure
Wolverine (again)

Hasbro Marvel Universe X-Men Rogue figure
Rogue (Finally! But in a 20 year old costume design???)

The figures all look as you'd expect them to-- some where between decent, just okay, and completely half-assed.

I had collected this line since its inception, but I've recently decided to abandon it. To be honest, the main reason was just that I began to run out of room for all these figures, and the second reason was that a large amount of 3.75" figure just doesn't display all that well. They tend to just end up looking like a big mess on your shelf (or shelves) eventually.

For me, the main selling point of this line is that, with the scale and price, Hasbro is able to give collectors a huge chunk of the Marvel Universe to add to their figure collection. However, the reason that it was so easy to give up is that the figures just aren't really that great. The plastic is gummy and often warped. The articulation is either too limited or too clunky. Now, they have recently improved a lot of the articulation issues, but for some reason they still put out figure with the old articulation. What the hell--???

Way to be cheap-asses, Hasbro. And at $10 a figure, this line is over priced. Not to mention it's just become way too hard to find at retail, and if I've got a problem paying $10, then there's no way I'm paying $15-20 on the after-market. These things should honestly be like $6-- mainly due to the fact that most figures use about 90% recycled part from the same 100 figures before them.

And another reason I'm kind of fed up with the Marvel Universe line is actually represented in these new Team Packs. I already have a lot of these figures, but Hasbro is still making me buy them just to get the one to two I need for my collection. This tactic is very prevalent among US toy manufacturers today, and I think it's pretty much a bullshit thing to do. Hasbro also does this with their 2-packs, as well. "Here's one figure you need, and one figure you have."

So, for me, it was time to give up this line. And, from what I'm hearing, I think Hasbro's about to give up on it themselves, too.

UPDATE: 1/11/2013 - FORGOT TO ADD THE INHUMANS

Hasbro Marvel Universe Inhumans Black Bolt figure
Blackbolt

Hasbro Marvel Universe Inhumans Karnak figure
 Karnak

I will say that these figures do look pretty awesome-- but that might have more to do with my love of the Inhumans than anything else. When I was still collecting this line, I was really looking forward to this Team Pack.

No Medusa production pics yet.

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