This ToyBiz Deluxe Gambit was manufactured in 1994 under the X-Men banner, following the height of comic book group's popularity. It seems these 10" Deluxe figures were released under the Iron Man, X-Men, Spider-Man banners before ToyBiz started marketing them under the Marvel Universe logo, like the Polaris figure in my last post. There are a variety of these available on eBay, but little documentation about them online, perhaps due to their somewhat unextraordinary construction. I have several of these large, simple figures and enjoy them for just those traits, along with their garish color and occasionally "awesome lameness" as BubbaShelby described :D My friend went on to recollect their sheer goofiness upon their release, specifically citing the She-Hulk from this series that was a repainted Xena figure that was so "amazingly ridiculous" he regrets losing it!
As I post on these, please feel free to share any experiences good or bad you may remember. While I think I have a grasp of how they were received, the more comments I hear, the better I'll understand them in the context of their time. I was way past collecting toys in these years while attending college, and some of you may remember them when they were new which interests me. I'm quite fond of them in spite of and because of their dodgy quality- call me crazy...
The back of Gambit's window box shows Bishop & Mr. Sinister figures also available from this line, all of which I've been reading about recently in the "X-Cutioner's Song" crossover event from the early 90's. This is the first Gambit action figure I've ever had, and truth be told, I'm not at all disappointed! His articulation is as simple as the rest, but the sculpt on this figure is pretty great...
The pleather trenchcoat they dressed Gambit in is cheap & restricts his already limited articulation, but takes him up a notch visually. For whatever reason, the coat collar is actually part of the figure's sculpt, which doesn't matter a lot unless you remove coat. If there was concern by the designers about the collar staying up it was unfounded, as I had no problem getting the stiff material to stay in position for my photos. Somewhat lame, but no concern of mine.
Gambit's accessory is a shiny black, vaguely futuristic staff- my Ninja Rouge has one just like it! If you think Hasbro has gone too far reusing parts on their current 3 3/4" Marvel Universe line, you don't know the half of it :D It was difficult to get through the hole in his hand, but looks cool with it in!
I really like the overall slender nature of the sculpt on this guy. The head and outstretched left hand are cool, giving him unique personality among these somewhat bland figures. I'm also a fan of his shin guards- they have a sleek look, and I like the brilliant blue. I've seen clowns dressed less colorfully than Gambit, and this toy really drives the point home :D On the subject of color, the paintjobs are slapdash pretty much accross the board, and Gambit shows this around the facemask. Some would find this repulsive, but I've seen how atrocious they can be, and I find that somewhat endearing.
I've got to say that this is one of the most exciting figures from this line, only unsurped by one of my favorite toys, the X-Men Deluxe Beast. I'd easily give him a four out of five stars, one nick for the shoddy facepaint. He rocks!
*Read about Remy Etienne LeBeau, aka the cajun mutant Gambit, at Marvel.Com!
More Later- Make It FUN!
You need to see if you can find him a little toy deck of playing cards to hold. : )
ReplyDeleteVery cool.I would love to see a group shot of these SDTB!
ReplyDeleteI remember when the smaller figures were new, and I remember when these came out(I was about 15 when these big guys were released). I don't have much to say about them, except that the Mr. Sinister looks great! And your Beast is tops so far for this line, but after seeing Mr. Sinister, I think he has some serious competition. ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's been covered yet, but I also seem to recall these only being available at Kay Bee toy stores. Can anyone else confirm/deny?
ReplyDeleteI am not a customizer by ANY means but I WAS obsessed with the Avengers masters of evil storyline in the 80´s called UnderSeige. So...I loved my 5 inch toybiz figures of the Avengers etc. I bought a Captain America 10 inch figure and cut off his wings and repainted him to be Goliath. Epic battles with Thor vs. Goliath I can tell ya. Later Goliath was put into my wrestling fed and fought the Undertaker alot.
ReplyDeleteAs Bubbashelby said above...I think these were KB exclusives.
ReplyDeleteI have about 15 or so of the 10inch figures still boxed up in the other room. And everyone of them was bought on clearace at KB Toys...how I miss that store. Same with my 10inch Spider-man Animated figures.
gotta show us that stuff, BigDaddy!
Deletethanks for all the comments, People! Anonymous, you sure know how to play with your toys! :D
ReplyDelete