Archive for the 'Hasbro' Category
— May 4, 2008
One of the most anticipated movies of 2008 is “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” This movie also has plenty of merchandise that will be available, not the least of which is the line of really sweet toys, Hasbro has planned this year.
May 1st was the official release date for the Indiana Jones figures which means they are just now starting to hit retail. They are also showing up on eBay. As a result, I decided to put together a list of the Indiana Jones figures that are out right now and also the ones that are soon to follow. This checklist is only covering the 3.75” line of basic figures. Enjoy!
Indiana Jones Wave 1 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
Marion Ravenwood: Marion was initially rescued from Nazi operatives as recruited by Indiana Jones as a surrogate for Marion’s father, Abner Ravenwood.
Cairo Indiana Jones: Indiana and Marion Ravenwood journey to Cairo in an attempt to prevent the Nazis from excavating the Ark of the Covenant.
Cairo Swordsman: During the Cairo bazaar sequence—throughout which Indiana Jones is pitted against various Nazis and hired thugs—the Swordsman confronts Jones abruptly.
Belloq: A near perfect translation of arrogant pomposity, this is the way the slimy and underhanded Belloq appeared during the scene in which the Ark of the Covenant is opened.
Monkey Man with Monkey: Monkey Man was a thug sent to assassinate Indiana and Sallah, though unfortunately the poor monkey suffered the brunt of the attempt, eating one of the poisoned dates and inadvertently warning Sallah of the danger.
Indiana Jones (Temple): This figure recreates the Peruvian jungle sequence in which Jones infiltrates an ancient temple.
Sallah: A renowned excavator, Sallah befriended India Jones and Marion Ravenwood upon their arrival in Cairo.
German Soldier: The German Soldier is one of a small army rallied for the task of obtaining the Ark of the Covenant, thereby transforming the Nazi forces into an invincible army.
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— April 28, 2008
Last week, Hasbro announced that the Marvel Legends A.O.A. Sunfire will be exclusive to HasbroToyShop.com. The price is $9.99, but this is a pre-order not scheduled to be available until October 9th. According to Hasbro, Sunfire is exclusive to Hasbro’s website and will not be available anywhere else.
— May 15, 2007
There are 3 main differences between the new Hasbro Marvel Legends and the original ToyBiz Marvel Legends, price, the missing comic and the detail of the figures themselves. These are the reasons I really don’t like the new Hasbro Legends. The packaging is a big difference too, but that doesn’t bother me that much considering I open all my figures anyway, and the new Hasbro packaging is easier to open.
1. Price - The price on Hasbro Marvel Legends went up about $2 at retail. That is a pretty significant price increase for collectors, especially those collectors who buy one, or more, of everything in the Marvel Legends line. I believe the reason for the increase is so that the price of Hasbro Legends would be more in line with the rest of Hasbro’s offerings not because of cost or anything else.
2. The Missing Comic - I believe the reason the comic reprints were included originally is because ToyBiz is owned by Marvel. Marvel owns the rights to all the comics that have been reprinted and included with Marvel Legends. It only makes sense that Hasbro would not include those because they don’t want to pay Marvel for the rights to do that, even though they increased the price.
3. Detail - Lastly, collectors know that the Hasbro Marvel Legends are not as detailed as the ToyBiz Marvel Legends. I think the reason for that is in the manufacturing process for Hasbro. The plastic pieces that make up Hasbro Marvel Legends are usually cast in the color they are supposed to be in so that they will not have to be painted. Hasbro Legends are made with as few paint ops as possible. This results in a noticeable loss of detail and a more “mass market” appearance even though the sculpts may still have a lot of detail. ToyBiz Marvel Legends had detailed paint jobs that gave them the highly detailed appearance that made them highly sought after.
Out of the 3 reasons I listed above, #3 is the only one sufficient enough on its own for me to not buy the Hasbro Marvel Legends. Overall, character choice also plays a big part. I think the line was on the way out when ToyBiz had it. The only way they kept it alive was by doing the build-a-figures.
Hasbro is doing a good job of finding characters left to do though. I don’t think movie versions and artist specific versions will be enough. All the major characters have been done at least once and some many more than once. We may be seeing the end of the Marvel Legends as ToyBiz may have supported it for longer than Hasbro is going to, if sales start to drop.
— November 2, 2006
Yes, you read the headline correctly. TNI has posted shots of the new Marvel Legends packaging from Hasbro. This is Hasbro’s first series of Marvel Legends since getting the license from Toy Biz and should be out soon.
The clamshell is gone replaced by a blister on a cardboard back. Gone is the familiar logo replaced by a new crappy one. The packaging looks huge, not to say that it wasn’t before, but the pictures make it look too big. The one change I do like is the character artwork that now appears at the top of each card and on the right side. But, the panels on the right side still look distracting.
The figures themselves look okay, even though this is not a very exciting series. Another disappointment that looks like it is here to stay is the build a figure, Annilhus, is about the same size as the regular figures. Gone also are the days of the 16″ to 18″ build a figure that towers over your other Marvel Legends. Those were great times.
Overall, I think the packaging is meant to attract a younger audience and fit in more with Hasbro’s other lines and upcoming Marvel movie lines. Let’s hope that the quality of the figures does not change now that Hasbro is producing them. View the new packaging here.
— August 7, 2006
Hasbro now has a web site for their new Spider-Man Origins line. To see it, go to http://www.hasbro.com/marvel/. There is not much there right now. They have pictures of the new Signature Series and battle packs. The coolest thing is the Origin of Origins video. Notice the banner that says “coming this fall.”
It looks like Hasbro will be heavily promoting this new line and packing the shelves with all kind of Spider-man product. They may even put Toy Biz to shame. Let’s hope they promote the new Marvel Legends and other lines as good as the Spider-man product.
— July 27, 2006
I received an e-mail from StarWarsShop.com tonight saying that the Exclusive Shadow Stormtrooper is now in stock. If you go to the site, it says it will ship on August 4th. This is also known as the Black Hole Stormtrooper from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. If you didn’t pre-order this exclusive, get your order in now while they last.
Exclusive Shadow Trooper from StarWarsShop.com
— July 14, 2006
ToyFare #109, which hit newsstands on Wednesday, has detailed information and photos on new Marvel products planned for 2007. I reported previously this week on Hasbro Marvel Legends here, but I wanted to cover all of the Marvel product Hasbro has planned for next year. Here is a detailed list.
Marvel Legends Annihilus wave - Release Date January 2007
- Banshee
- Planet Hulk
- Hercules
- Beast (movie)
- Emma Frost
- Ultimate Iron Man
- Annihlius (build-a-figure)
Synopsis: Let’s hope these are early prototypes, and Hasbro has time to refine these before they go into production. Most of them are sculpted badly and painted worse. But have faith that Hasbro will realize they have big shoes to fill, and that they have already sent them back for improvements.
Ghost Rider - Release Date December 2006
- 6 inch figures
- die cast titanium figure
- Deluxe 12 inch Ghost Rider with motorcycle
Synopsis: The first pictures of Ghost Rider figures look very good from what can be seen. If the finished version turns out this good, I may decide to pick up my first Ghost Rider figure.
Spider-Man Origins - Release Date January and February 2007
- 6 inch figures
- 2 waves of Spider-Man’s different costumes, including 2099 and “Iron Spidey”
- 2 waves of villians, including some reissues and repaints like Demogoblin
- 2 movie and 1 comic version battle pack 2 packs in November and December
Synopsis: 2007 will be a big year for Spidey with the next movie coming out, and Hasbro has plenty planned. We will probably see a lot of reuse in the initial Spider-Man Origins. But as long as we get a new 2099 and Iron Spidey, I’m in!
Spider-Man Origins: Signature Series - Release Date November 2006
- Spider-Man
- Doc Ock
- Green Goblin
- ???
Synopsis: I think these will be intersting as well. Think updated Mego figures. These will be 8 inch figures with cloth costumes consisting of Spider-Man and his greatest villians. I think these could end up doing well, especially if they expand the line beyond Spidey and Co.
Marvel Kids Lines - Release Date November 2006 and January 2007
- Itsy-Bitsy Spider-man
- Superhero Squad
Synopsis: Basically, Superhero Squad is Marvel versions of the Galactic Heroes line Hasbro does for Star Wars. They are 3 inch toddler sized figures of Marvel heroes. For Itsy-Bitsy Spider-man, think a rapping Elmo. If you buy it for your kid, you will probably be annoyed.
My Thoughts: It looks like Marvel’s future is in good hands, at least on paper. The pictures are a different story, for Marvel Legends anyway. Hasbro needs to improve on these designs. I hope they don’t release those figures we see in the magazine. They have a chance to knock it out of the park here or fail miserably. The other lines show a lot of promise surprisingly. Be on the lookout for previews coming out of the San Diego Comic Con soon. Until then you can pick up ToyFare #109 to hold you over.
— July 11, 2006
It’s official. Hasbro is making Marvel Legends in 2007. Action-Figure.com announces today that the latest issue of ToyFare, which hits newsstands tomorrow, has all the info, and that Wizard is already making it available online on it’s web site, along with pictures. Here is the info.
The first series of Marvel Legends to be released by Hasbro, who takes over the Marvel license from Toy Biz in January, will feature Planet Hulk, Banshee, Hercules, Movie Beast, Emma Frost, Ultimate Iron Man, and Annihilus as the build-a-figure! Check out ToyFare #109, on sale Wednesday, for more images of the figures, as well as images of movie Ghost Rider toys and new Spider-Man figures from Hasbro!
Not much there to interest me, but the Ultimate Iron Man and Annihilus build-a-figure sound very cool! They have a picture of the Planet Hulk up on their site and a pic of Banshee has also surfaced in the forums. They also confirm that there will be a Ghost Rider movie line and Spider-Man movie line.
Also this week, it was announced via Super Hero Times and others that Hasbro will have a panel at Comic Con with Jesse Falcon of ToyBiz. Here is that info.
Saturday. 2:00-3:00 Hasbro/Marvel: Marvel Legends. Spider-Man Origins. Superhero Squad and much more— Find out what it’s all about at the first Hasbro/Marvel panel ever Jesse Falcon from Toy Biz joins Hasbro team members Billy Lagor, Randy Shoemaker, and Brian Wilk. Don’t miss this opportunity to see a sneak peak of what Hasbro has in store for their spring 2007 Marvel line. Room 8
Looks like in addition to finding out about Hasbro Marvel Legends in San Diego, we will also find out about 2 lines called Spider-Man Origins and Superhero Squad. Here are all the links.
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