Hasbro comparison to ToyBiz

[Starman]

Well, after having the new Hasbro ML figs and having time to either warm up to them or realize they are crap I can finally have an opinion.

 

First impression is that although these are decent figures they are not Marvel Legends.

Aesthetically, these don't really fit in with the TB figs. They are just too different. It's like comparing DC Direct to DCSH, at first glace it works, but upon closer inspection it's just, well...off.

 

The first wave ... bad tidings when the first batch contains a repaint.

Graded on a scale from 1-10.

 

Planet Hulk - OK I see the need for this character, but giving us a repaint was a cheap way to kick off a new and shiny license. A good mold and nice new pieces, but I feel it was cheesy to use this mold. 6.5

 

Banshee - Big head, no collar, yellow molded parts are greenish, yellow paint and yellow fleshtone are virtually inseperable. 5

 

Emma -No as bad as some claim, still not really in scale with the TB ladies-no other comments on this, everything has been said. 7

 

Herc - Good mold, bad wrist and terrible color on the skin. Chester Cheetah, son of Zeus. 7

 

Beast - Good mold, although a little small. Great paint on this too. 9

 

Iron Man - Eh, could have been better, but could have been worse. Tony is a great example of why these don't fit with the TB figs, none of them had vac metal. This really sets him apart from other Iron Man figs ...and not in a good way. 7

 

Annihilus - Pink...PINK and green, wings are flimsy, collar doesn't really lock down and he has a balance problem. 6

 

And as far as the rest of the Hasbro Marvel stuff...

 

Spidey Signature - Why? These are a rehashed concept from a failed (although hit and miss at the time) line from 1996. With the vast improvements in articulation since the 90's, I fail to see why they chose this format. To capture the Mego crowd? Well, listen up, these ain't Megos folks, and they never will be. The value of Mego toys is the nostalgia, not the characters, Hasbro you can't recapture nostalgia for a 35 yr old product with a cheap imitation.

 

Spidey Origins - A whole line of repaints. With the GREAT stuff that TB was pumping out at the end, this is a huge letdown. The Venom is a repaint of a 6 yr old figure. All the Spideys aren't any of the really great TB molds, and the rest are bleh...(except Iron Spidey, I guess at least it's a new costume!)

 

Superhero Squad - Good little chibi figs, but they don't replace Spidey and Friends.

 

Icons - I think this line is really hit and miss, even when TB had them.

 

Ghost Rider - ToyBiz molds, they look like TB and play like TB, I like them and wish Hasbro would use this formula on the rest of there Marvel Lines.

Aren't they going to reduce all the movie lines to 5 inches soon? Consistency anyone?

 

Heroes - A whole line of repain...wait, didn't I already use that line?

Repaints of 6-inchers that will transition to 5-inchers, great way to make a consistent line!

 

Magneto - No resculpting, although he looks cool I ain't buyin.

 

Cap - WHY? Again, what is it, 4th time for this mold?

 

Cyclops - This ain't Ultimate Cyclops!

 

Wolvie - Wait a repaint of the brown Wolvie into a Astonishing Wolvie when there is already a SPECIFICALLY SCULPTED body type for an Astonishing Wolvie? HUH?!?

 

Iceman - Ok good concept but, without a new specific headsculpt it ain't Bob.

 

So, they ditched great lines for repaint lines. They killed:

 

X-men - which was AWESOME!!!

Fantastic Four Animated - Which looked great

Spidey and Friends - A great line for kids and collectors

A really good Spider-Man Line - for a really bad Spider-Man line

Superhero Showdown - Cool figs at a good size

 

 

I don't know.

 

I see how Hasbro treated the Star Wars property around the release of the Phantom Menace and how in took several years for the line to recover.

 

I see the way Hasbro treat TF fans with repaint after repaint and terrible distribution on new stuff.

 

I guess I'm hopeful, but wiser to really expect any better. I've been collecting too long (26 yrs out of 33) to be anything but highly skeptical of Hasbro and their tactics.

[RickCoronel]

Wolvie - Wait a repaint of the brown Wolvie into a AStonishing Wolvie when there is already a SPECIFICALLY SCULPTED body type for an Astonishing Wolvie? HUH?!?

 

It's not the Astonishing costume though, it's the one he used in NA. close enough to tb's icon, except the belt.

[Starman]

Wolvie - Wait a repaint of the brown Wolvie into a AStonishing Wolvie when there is already a SPECIFICALLY SCULPTED body type for an Astonishing Wolvie? HUH?!?

 

It's not the Astonishing costume though, it's the one he used in NA. close enough to tb's icon, except the belt.

 

 

Well , they are vitually the same except the belt, boot top and glove tops.

[THE Sentry]

If Hasbro reduces each movie line to five inches, and gives them Superman Returns figure-like articulation, I will personally kill everyone who works for them.

 

 

 

Who's with me?

[Draven79]

Well sorry to hear you did not like them that much Starman, I won't be helping you for that! @smilepunch@ Just kidding man! @loll@ Anyway first off I do disagree with a few things. I think the SO line is a VAST improvement over the SC TB was doing!! Much better character selection, and better paint apps imo. The repaint factor was only for the first few waves, for they could get product out fast.

I also think the SHS are way better than the Spidey Friends things, never liked those at all but I really dig the SHS figs. I don't want to pick at your opinions to much though as we are all entitled to our own thoughts, so I will stop here since I like you. Now if you were someone I did not like I could write like 5 more paragraphs at least! @smilepunch@

Draven

[oracleip]

I think the New Spiderman figures are awesome, at first I wasn't sure, but the Paint apps look really cool, Mysterio and Venom look very sleek and just all around nicer. I passed on these with toybiz but now I am probably going to pick some of these up.

[DRAMA fo yo MAMA]

Spidey Origins:

 

SMO is very much a kid's line, but it's a kid's line that knows it might have an adult audience. the metallic finishes on all the characters annoyed me, and i'm glad that i didn't need any of those versions of Spidey because I was NOT gonna get these. however, i did think it was cool that they rereleased some villains that some might have missed, like the ML8 Ock and Mysterio (even though I think that Rhino always was and always will be abominable). the repaint that i thought was actually relevant and good was Demogoblin, who i got, and i really liked that they made a figure of Iron Spidey. while i wasn't even close to getting most of this line i do like it in general... the Spideys in my area are actually being sold, as are the villains, so i don't have much beef with it even though i'm not so interested in it.

 

Legends:

 

I will admit that i really only wanted this set for Annihilus, and only resolved to get it after i learned that getting the F4 Movie version was going to be pretty much impossible. even though early on i said i'd love Frost and Banshee figures to add to my X-collection and Hercules to add to my Avengers/Civil War collection, when i first saw them i was gonna pass. I'm content to have added them to my collection, but the other three (Hulk, X3 Beast, and Ult IM) just irritated me... reason #1 is, i'm not about having lots of FIGURES so much as I'm about having lots of CHARACTERS. repeats really bug me, especially in BAF lines.

 

i will grant that some like Movie figures (which i do) and some don't. some like Ultimates figures and some don't (like me). and some like to have figures based on an actual appearance of a character (which I do). while I think Planet Hulk is a figure based on a relevant appearance of his i don't object to it out of context... i just wish i didn't have to get him for the BAF. in this instance, it was too many repeat characters for a maiden wave. if they'd put these same characters over THREE waves i wouldn't have minded as much... but as it stands i have all the VERSIONS of those characters that i want and really wish we could have gotten some new folks.

 

i'm just glad that wave 2 has (predominantly) relevant appearances of characters i actually want (except Ult. Wolverine).

 

Ghost Rider:

 

funnily enough, i've been most impressed with this line over others so far. they look good, pose well, and the line has lots of characters instead of pulling a "Spidey 2". yes, there are lots of Ghost Rider figures, but there are also several other characters. i have no objections whatsoever to this line.

[Starman]

Ya know DRAMA you echo alot of the sentiments I have.

 

The Spider Man line is OK, but, if you have all of the TB versions, then its a waste. The metallic paint was a turn off because, like you, I want my toys to be accurate representations of the character.

 

I pretty much agree with you on the initial release of HML, though I think it was a decent assortment. Except for Planet Hulk...

 

Ghost Rider is, again, a great line.

 

Well sorry to hear you did not like them that much Starman, I won't be helping you for that!

 

Draven , I didn't say I didn't like the HML, I just think they are different and therefore,need to be taken as such.

 

Spider Man origins, see my response to DRAMA.

 

Spidey and Friends - My 5 yr old daughter loved the line, she has all of them. She could care less about the SHS. That's my point, well articulated toys for small kids ,verses little chibis with minimum articulation. I mean they are cool, but not the same. And my kid hates 'em.

[Draven79]

Sorry your daughter does not like the SHS line, I can understand that. My friends little 4 year old loves the Star Wars GH and now these SHS, so I guess its just like the big kids! Some like things different.

Draven

[Pharmacoviper]

I finally got a chance to see the Hasbro Marvel Legends in hand myself. I didn't get any, but they look pretty good to me. The only thing I didn't like was Banshee's card art. The only HML I didn't see yet is Emma Frost, but I don't think she looks any worse than the Toy Biz ML female characters. (For the record, I think most of the ML ladies look pretty crappy in general except for X-treme Rogue and XMC Storm.)

 

I like the Spider-Man Origins line for the most part. Demogoblin and Iron Spidey are pretty cool. I'm a little disappointed by Spidey 2099. The T-crotch really limits his poseability, but I'm more disappointed by his cloth "cape." I wish it looked like the "chain" webbing on the package. The villain repaints are pretty cool and good for fans who missed them the first time.

 

The Ghost Rider line is pretty good, too. I got Scarecrow and I like him lot, and his action feature doesn't really interfere with his poseability. Hopefully, they'll make a comic-accurate Zarathos figure.

 

The SHS are neat, but not my cup of tea. I never cared for the Icons line or the Megos-style line, so I don't have any comment on them.

 

Overall, I think Hasbro is doing fine with its initial Marvel offerings. So, far it's a lot easier to find the figures I want compared to Toy Biz.

 

PharmV

[yojoebro82]

I expressed how much I liked my Beast, Emma, and Banshee over in another thread. THAT was before I set them up next to my Toybiz X Men. Now that I've done THAT I have to say:

 

For me, the swithch from Toybiz to Hasbro is a non-issue.

 

These new figs blend right in with my dozens of other TB X Men.

Beast is lined up next to my other movie figs. Can't tell he was made by a different company.

Emma's standing next to all my other X Women. Can't tell she was made by a different company.

Banshee next to my Prof X and Cyclops. Can't tell he was made by a different company.

 

Now that these figs have actually hit I'm just seeing a lot of nit-picky complaints, and I guess that's ALWAYS going to happen. Personally, between the three Hasbro figs I've bought, I'm having trouble deciding which I like best!

 

(And I'm sorry but I HAVE to say this: If you were to paint Emma's hair brown she'd look JUST like this girl that danced with me at a club this past Friday. Trust me, that chick was NOT BAD )

[rachelgrey616]

Personally I don't understand why hasbro piked up the spiderman line but not X-men. X-men need a Seperate line just to get all the characters out there, let alone different costumes. All you need off spidey is classic, symbiote, and Iron. I just want my X-men. And Classic Excaliber.

[O_B1Killa]

 

 

Planet Hulk - OK I see the need for this character, but giving us a repaint was a cheap way to kick off a new and shiny license. A good mold and nice new pieces, but I feel it was cheesy to use this mold. 6.5

 

Banshee - Big head, no collar, yellow molded parts are greenish, yellow paint and yellow fleshtone are virtually inseperable. 5

 

Emma -No as bad as some claim, still not really in scale with the TB ladies-no other comments on this, everything has been said. 7

 

Herc - Good mold, bad wrist and terrible color on the skin. Chester Cheetah, son of Zeus. 7

 

Beast - Good mold, although a little small. Great paint on this too. 9

 

Iron Man - Eh, could have been better, but could have been worse. Tony is a great example of why these don't fit with the TB figs, none of them had vac metal. This really sets him apart from other Iron Man figs ...and not in a good way. 7

 

Annihilus - Pink...PINK and green, wings are flimsy, collar doesn't really lock down and he has a balance problem. 6

 

 

 

Spidey Origins - A whole line of repaints. With the GREAT stuff that TB was pumping out at the end, this is a huge letdown. The Venom is a repaint of a 6 yr old figure. All the Spideys aren't any of the really great TB molds, and the rest are bleh...(except Iron Spidey, I guess at least it's a new costume!)

 

 

 

Icons - I think this line is really hit and miss, even when TB had them.

 

So, they ditched great lines for repaint lines. They killed:

 

X-men - which was AWESOME!!!

Fantastic Four Animated - Which looked great

Spidey and Friends - A great line for kids and collectors

A really good Spider-Man Line - for a really bad Spider-Man line

Superhero Showdown - Cool figs at a good size

 

 

I don't know.

 

I see how Hasbro treated the Star Wars property around the release of the Phantom Menace and how in took several years for the line to recover.

 

 

 

Highly agree

[Forcehunter]

I expressed how much I liked my Beast, Emma, and Banshee over in another thread. THAT was before I set them up next to my Toybiz X Men. Now that I've done THAT I have to say:

 

For me, the swithch from Toybiz to Hasbro is a non-issue.

 

These new figs blend right in with my dozens of other TB X Men.

Beast is lined up next to my other movie figs. Can't tell he was made by a different company.

Emma's standing next to all my other X Women. Can't tell she was made by a different company.

Banshee next to my Prof X and Cyclops. Can't tell he was made by a different company.

 

Now that these figs have actually hit I'm just seeing a lot of nit-picky complaints, and I guess that's ALWAYS going to happen. Personally, between the three Hasbro figs I've bought, I'm having trouble deciding which I like best!

 

(And I'm sorry but I HAVE to say this: If you were to paint Emma's hair brown she'd look JUST like this girl that danced with me at a club this past Friday. Trust me, that chick was NOT BAD )

Pip! Pip! Wise words. The X-men figs that i want will take to l9ong to get to in a shared line, they nee there own.

[ARROW]

Yet another voice that doesn't realize that all that mentioned product was designed and specified BY TOY BIZ.

Hasbro has taken over product that was already in the works.

 

From the sculpts, to the articulation, to the paint apps--only the packaging was specifically created by Hasbro.

The Hasbro designed product hasn't been shown yet.

 

And if bad tidings erupt from a repaint in the first batch..........consider that Toybiz's ML Wave 1 & 2 had a re-purposed figure ( Toad ) and a repainted figure ( Stealth Iron Man).

That kind of thing happens for ecomonic reasons, and its going to continue where practical.

[Starman]

And if bad tidings erupt from a repaint in the first batch..........consider that Toybiz's ML Wave 1 & 2 had a re-purposed figure ( Toad ) and a repainted figure ( Stealth Iron Man).

 

1. Wasn't the Stealth Iron Man a variant?

2. And remind me, had the Toad figure ever been USED before?

 

 

Yet another voice that doesn't realize that all that mentioned product was designed and specified BY TOY BIZ.

 

I did realize the things you mentioned, but it isn't the case with everything thats been put out by Hasbro since the license went to them.

 

For example, the Superhero Squad wasn't a ToyBiz idea. That is a Hasbro concept ie Galactic Heroes.

 

Emmas elbow joint designs are also a Hasbro tooling concept ie Sigma Six.

 

So, no not ALL of the things we've seen from Hasbro Marvel lines originated with ToyBiz.

[Blackheart]

Awww what? The movie figs are gonna be scaled down to just 5 ins? If thats the case for the Spidey 3 line I'll have to just custom previous Spidey movie figures.

[ARROW]

And if bad tidings erupt from a repaint in the first batch..........consider that Toybiz's ML Wave 1 & 2 had a re-purposed figure ( Toad ) and a repainted figure ( Stealth Iron Man).

 

1. Wasn't the Stealth Iron Man a variant?

2. And remind me, had the Toad figure ever been USED before?

 

Toad was not actually used in a prior assortment/release, to the best of my knowledge, but was INTENDED to be in a "Then and Now" two-pack featuring the movie Toad--much the same as Wolverine/

Hence the term "re-purposed".

 

 

 

Yet another voice that doesn't realize that all that mentioned product was designed and specified BY TOY BIZ.

 

I did realize the things you mentioned, but it isn't the case with everything thats been put out by Hasbro since the license went to them.

 

For example, the Superhero Squad wasn't a ToyBiz idea. That is a Hasbro concept ie Galactic Heroes.

 

Emmas elbow joint designs are also a Hasbro tooling concept ie Sigma Six.

 

So, no not ALL of the things we've seen from Hasbro Marvel lines originated with ToyBiz.

 

Yes, I'll grant you some of those other items. The kicker to my point however is that Marvel Legends and the related lines are the general thrust and concern of this forum, there's been very little interest or discussion on those other products. Seriously, there's not going to be a whole heckuva lot of people here interested in the Superhero Squad product.

 

The main gist is that pretty much all the ML product for AT LEAST the first 2 ( and likely up to 3-4) waves of the Hasbro line were all concieved at Toybiz. There's really nothing to compare Hasbro with as yet.

If the stuff is different........like Superhero Squad is different from Spidey and Friends, then what is their to compare? Its different product. Hasbro has loads of experience in making kiddie-aimed product anyway, Toybiz doesn't.

 

As was said back when the first Hasbro ML images surfaced---its just too early for comparisons. Once the first fully-Hasbro designed product (referring to ML) appears THEN we can all start comparing it to the stuff that Toybiz had concieved.

[O_B1Killa]

I just dont care who designed what... they suck now

[mrhayzie]

i must say that the new elbow joint is a big disappointment. unfortunately, i wouldn't be bringing this up if i didn't think they would implement it in future waves.

[WIP1]

So the reduction in articulation, the reduction in paint washes where they would help the appearance of the figs, and more "cartoonish" appearance (e.g., the upcoming Yellowjacket fig) were all "conceived" by ToyBiz? Two possibilities in my mind: (1) That isn't true, OR (2) ToyBiz wanted to indirectly improve its reputation, so it handed things off to Hasbro that they knew would get people to gripe about Hasbro.

 

With regard to Emma being the same as all the ToyBiz female characters (in terms of not being that great), I disagree. There have been some really great female TB figs produced: Storm and the variant Black Widow for starters. I also really liked the Kitty Pryde fig, though some did not. At least she looked like a real woman. On the other hand, their plastic-surgery nightmare version of Rogue from the box set should never have seen the light of day, along with the "five o'clock shadow" Scarlet Witch. So, TB was hit-and-miss on female figs. But other than the box-set Rogue, I can't say I have more disappointed with a female fig more than Emma. Unless they made her a man, I don't think she could less like the artwork on her package.

[Starman]

I know what re-purposed means. I was pointing out that the Toad mold had never actually been used. Whether it was intended for another line or not, ML 1 WAS it's first appearance. So essentially this does nothing to prove your point about repaints in the first wave.

 

Since Toybiz had few other ML scale molds (Avengers, Blade, Onslaught, Hulk lines, and ironically they did a NEW Hulk in series 1 instead of repainting an existing figure) to use there at the beginning of ML there were very little possibilities for repaints, whereas Hasbro has 16 series of ML, not to mention boxsets and associated lines such as X-Men, movie lines, Spider-Man and Fantastic Four to choose from.

 

Totally different starting points.

 

Hasbro was supposed to WOW us with their lines and I feel less than wowed. That was the point of the post, not some arbitrary nitpicking.

 

I KNOW all of the stuff you pointed out, I've been collecting toys since the late '70s, I've seen all this stuff, I know the history of all this stuff, and that is why I have a well-thought out opinion of the way this acqusition is going. I just didn't want to act like a big-headed know-it-all and complicate the issue with useless knowledge. And no, that isn't an insult aimed at you.

[OB1Killa]

The only knew thang I like is the spidey origins...the rest can go to