Just for fun, because it's Halloween, my favorite monster... The Hulk! One of the first Marvel Legends I bought was this 1st Appearance Hulk by ToyBiz (above). I was playing around with some lightning effects from another figure, and thought they looked like fire, so I shared it on my Super-DuperToyBox Instagram. Follow me there to see some things that may not make it onto the blog, and stay informed on all my new posts and Super-DuperToyBox YouTube videos! And while on the subject of Hulk and social media, below are pics of my newer Marvel Legends Hulk from the Marvel 80th Anniversary 1st Appearance Wolverine/Hulk 2-pk. with his Marvel PEZ dispenser. If you don't think that's fun, you are looking in the wrong corner of the internet! :D
I've said before that I'm mad for these recent 14" Mego figures, and although Wonder Woman toes the line of being what basically amounts to a doll, I felt she would bring some diversity to my otherwise white, male collection. Yes, yes, it's an action figure, not a doll. Fine. She has hair and real clothes, so that seems to qualify her in my mind... it's just that I don't care. Regardless, I had stopped to check her out a couple times before I finally picked her up. Her simplicity grew on me after I had a few of these and could see she was pretty consistent in her styling with the others. That Mego style from the '70s has been maintained, yet updated in some ways- people who complain should look elsewhere for entertainment, these are not for them. The head sculpts on these are fantastic! I was delighted at how well she stands in those heeled boots as well, and while you won't be doing handstands with her, she will hold some simple poses. A more modern version of Wonder Woman is also available in this 14" line, but the classic version fit my collection better. I'd love to see a retro Black Lightning or Vixen in this line as opposed to repeated characters in modern costumes! There's no way Mego could lose!
I've had the Marvel Legends Retro Series Vision on card for a year, picking up Wasp and Hawkeye more recently to round out a classic Avengers team for my collection. We all know this variant of Wasp was teased as a variant in 2006, then not produced- while I have no personal connection to that unreleased figure, nor the obscure costume, I do like the way she fits into what I have going on. Check out the video:
Below: Wasp, Vision, and Hawkeye with Hulk from the 80th Anniversary Hulk/1st Appearance Wolverine 2-pack, and the 80th Anniversary Classic Capt. America, Thor, and Iron Man. While the Retro Series figures don't have quite the sheen the 80th Anniversary figures enjoy, they fit in well enough with them. As plain as Hawkeye's deco is, I was surprised by how much I liked him- his sculpted armor scaling goes well with Capt. America's. And I'd been waiting for the right moment to crack that Vision open- love that classic styling!
I am sometimes again sold an item that I'd essentially paid for once, such is the case regarding this 2019 SDCC Debut Dark Knight Detective. Unlike the Classic Batman however, this all-black version has gripping fists that hold his grapple hook, a different belt, and a smaller chest emblem. Mego also pinned the cape onto the chest just above with a few stitches. I've said before what fond memories I have of the summer of '89, when Keaton debuted this look for Batman in Tim Burton's blockbuster -it's not a direct representation, but nostalgia kicks in. These go for twenty bucks at Target, unless if you find them on sale, as I have more than twice. I have yet to buy any of the new 8" Mego dolls since the company's sudden return, but eventually caved to the retro appeal of these oversized DC figures. Some 1:6 scale collectors bemoan the unique, taller scale, and some just don't have room for them, but there's no denying the wow factor of the 14" line. Check out the video:
On the heels of my last post, I wanted to finally open this Hasbro 9" Punisher I've had in my collection for 9 years. I started this blog just prior to finding it on eBay, the focus of my new hobby on action figures that resembled my childhood Mego dolls, Mattel's DC Retro-Action Series and ToyBiz's Famous Covers Series being two examples. Later, Figures Toy Co. would relaunch the craze for Mego-styled figures, in their own design reimagining, and using Mego molds outright. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Marty Abrams relaunched Mego through an exclusive distribution deal with Target in 2018! While I've so far resisted buying any of the new 8" figures, I've purchased a few of the fantastic 14" line, of which I plan to buy more. Be sure to visit the online Mego Museum! I only had a handful of these 9" Hasbro figures from the mid-2000s, which were unique in design, and different than the earlier ToyBiz Marvel Famous Covers figures. Check out the video:
Like many of the early Marvel Legends action figures, these 9" Hasbro figures included a comic, this one a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #129 from 1974, introducing Marvel's infamous antihero, The Punisher. In the middle of this comic is an advertisement for these "Signature Series" Spider-Man Orgins figures, featuring Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and two versions of Spider-Man. Hasbro would also release an Iron Spider, Daredevil and Captain America in this format. I've had the Spider-Man and Wolverine from this series for years, two favorite toys in my collection, and had a black suit Spider-Man at one time, as well as a Cyclops. If Hasbro were making theses today, after the Spider-Verse craze, we would have undoubtedly seen Spider-Gwen, Miles Morales, Prowler, and Spider-Man Noir among many others.
As a teenager at the end of the '80s, I got my hands on a copy of The Punisher, a graphic novel compiling the 1986 five issue run "Circle of Blood". Revered as the character's foray into success in a solo title and definitive Punisher story, this book blew my young mind and made me a fan. It was gritty, violent, and perhaps a little more than adult in nature than intended for kids. Written by author Steven Grant and illustrated by Mike Zeck. It is sometimes, and fairly, accused of being dated, but that's part of the fun for me now. More recently, I enjoyed Punisher in the 2012 Marvel NOW! relaunch of Thunderbolts, alongside Red Hulk, Agent Venom, Elektra, and Deadpool, but "Circle of Blood" will always be the impression branded on my imagination.
I've had the Classic Punisher for a couple years, so I thought it would be a good time to open him upon finding the new 80th Anniv. Punisher and Punisher War Machine at GameStop recently. Check out the video:
We've had a few Punisher figures over the years from Hasbro, including a camo Punisher with the face paint ten years ago in the Nemesis wave, as well as a classic Punisher from the 2012 Epic Heroes wave, which had a Thunderbolts variant in red. This newer 80th Anniversary Punisher is a kitbash of parts from Erik Killmonger, the Netflix Punisher, Classic Punisher, and Demolition Man.
The Punisher War Machine came out of nowhere recently, surprising all of us, and I compulsively with the 80th Anniversary Punisher at a local GameStop. I'd long admired that sculpt originally used on the Civil War Series War Machine, but was ultimately disappointed by all his extra parts that don't peg in well at all. I already have him up for auction on my eBay, because while I love the deco, he doesn't compare to that bitchin' Avengers War Machine I got just a couple months ago.
