I've had this 10" Toybiz X-Men Series Wolverine in my collection for many years now, only recently picking up the Marvel Universe Series "reverse" variant for a great price on eBay. I'm drawn to these big, dumb action figures of the '90s for their simple sculpts, bright colors, and exaggerated proportions. They are absurd figures, but scream fun!
Like may of the 10" Toybiz figures of this era, Wolverine came with a standard issue sidearm, apropos of nothing to do with this character. Tiger Stripe Wolverine doesn't hold his particularly well, the clip portion of his Uzi-like gun seemingly missing. I will be displaying Reverse Wolverine with his weapon!
The sculpt on these Wolverines is identical, but I love
having the reverse color variant- what a pair they make!
I've had my eyes on this FEXT System street diorama for awhile, and finally pulled the trigger on it at Big Bad Toy Store this past week. I liked the FEXT Sci-Fi diorama I picked up in April quite a bit, so my expectations were high- that set was twenty bucks more than this street dio, so I figured it would be a little smaller, but I was pretty underwhelmed after assembling it. Three or four figures really crowd the 14.25 x 11" platform, and the 6.25" back wall looks small with your standard 1:12 scale figure up against it. It really needs to be twice the height for a decent background in my opinion; an additional background board will be needed to make the photography work. Another mild complaint would be the platform not wanting to lay completely flat, which I cannot seem to rectify...
crowd the tiny platform of the FEXT street diorama...
Below, my FEXT System Sci-Fi 03 diorama completely dwarves, and was a much better value than the FEXT street dio. For maximum use, I'm of the opinion you need two or three of these street dioramas to combine for a larger background. Or even better, pick up a different set like the railway lobby set, to create a larger background for your figures. I'm unsure if I'll bother doing that, but if you are trying to photograph a group of five or more figures, you'll need the extra real estate.
Initially, my interest in this Marvel Legends Gamerverse Avengers Joe Fixit Wave was primarily confined to Jocasta and Kang, but I went back for the other four using some Amazon points I'd accumulated. I'm glad I did, because in spite of having to buy another Gamerverse Iron Man and Captain America, I thoroughly enjoyed this wave. Check out the video:
As I said, buying another Gamerverse Iron Man and Captain America wasn't high on my priority list, but I was impressed with them in person; the Tony Stark and Steve Rogers head sulpts included took them to another level, and I loved the new colorways. Pleasantly surprised by these two...
I have no emotional attachment to Thunderstrike, but there are some nice aspects to this figure; I'm usually more a fan of neutral face sculpts, but the screaming face on this is fantastic! Below, Thunderstrike with my Beta Ray Bill and Marvel 80th Anniversary Classic Thor...
There is a serious shortage of villains in my Marvel Legends collection, so I was thrilled to see a comic book based Kang in this wave. I loved my childhood Secret Wars Kang, and Hasbro did a knock-out job on this classic character- lots of new parts! Below, Kang with the magnificent Dr. Doom we got earlier this year...
Jocasta was one of the figures that interested me in this wave, due in large part to her head sculpt, and less with any attachment to the character. She pairs well with my Iron Man 3 Wave Ultron, her creator and captive love interest, created in 1977 by artist George Perez and writer Jim Shooter...
Falcon is a bedrock Avengers team mate, so I wasn't disappointed in finally having one in my Marvel Legends collection. I like the engineering od the wings, pegged securely into rectangular slots on the undersides of the arms, the same used recently on that Demogoblin Wave Classic Vulture...
This wasn't the comic book Joe Fixit that first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #326 (1986), nor was it a repaint of the recent Kingpin figure we've now seen twice; this is a unique and very cool Marvel Legends BAF. Well, the arms, legs, and shoes may be reuse of Kingpin's parts (?), but the rest is new. It's possible we will get a comic book based Joe Fixit from Hasbro in the future, but I hope it's in a tuxedo, packed with a Wolverine as Patch, just like in Wolverine #8 (1989)!
I didn't buy the recent Gray Hulk or Red Hulk, basically repaints of the Marvel 80th Anniversary Classic Hulk with a new head sculpt. I'm glad to have another Hulk that is unique; I'm kind of a Hulk collector, and have a modest grouping, varying in size and manufacture.
I did enjoy this Marvel Legends wave- I don't often an entire wave to get the BAF, and am glad Hasbro has started rereleasing larger BAFs as "deluxe" and Vintage Wave releases so we can have alternative ways to get figures we want. If they'd stop confounding us with retailer exclusive releases, that would be great.
These 10" ToyBiz figures have appeared on this blog several times, all the way from the outset 10 years ago. I've sold several in my collect, but had hung onto a few, including Bishop, Forge, and Cyclops. ToyBiz must have made millions of these oversized toys in the '90s; they seem plentiful to this day. Some are more desirable, fetching more than others, though I've noticed asking prices for most increasing the last 10 years. They are expensive to ship boxed! The oversized boxes were branded to specific character properties of the time, X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron, Man, Fantastic Four; other characters were often branded Marvel Universe, in a box with a more narrow back and blank yellow interior. The X-Men box Bishop came in is fantastic, and great for display, but I've hung onto these so long, I thought it was time to bust them open!
Each of these surprised me in one aspect or another; Bishop has a waist swivel where I though he was fixed. Due to his hair sculpt, the neck is fixed- they may have been making up for this with the waist. Some of the 10" ToyBiz figures have ankle articulation as well, but these all have solid ankles. The color on this figure is eye-poppingly vivid, reminiscent of it's time. I went back in the past ten years and caught up with this X-Man of the future in Uncanny X-Men #282, Age of Apocalypse, and later, very powerful Messiah Complex. Great character! Bishop was packed with the obligatory, giant '90s rifle, and looks a lot like his appearance in the X-Men animated show of that era.
I became more aware of Forge around the same time I did Bishop, reading stray issues of Uncanny X-Men twenty years after their release, getting back into comics as an adult; they were fun, and I enjoyed Whilce Portacio's art. Forge was created seven years earlier than Bishop however, by John Romita Jr. and Chris Claremont in 1984. Forge is a strait-up repaint of the 10" ToyBiz Spider-Man Series Punisher, but surprised me with his real cloth headband, a feature I was unaware of until opening him all these years later. His boot knife is not removable, but adds some visual interest.
Below, ToyBiz Bishop and Forge with their recent Hasbro Marvel Legends Series counterparts...
My 10" ToyBiz Polaris came with the same gun Bishop did, cast in translucent green ...!
What surprised me about this 10" ToyBiz Cyclops was his translucent blue plastic, undetected by me until only recently. This unexpected surprise made him even more fun to me. Honestly, I've sold every Cyclops figure I've had, but this one kind of makes up for it. Like Bishop, there were variants of this figure, including a metallic finish version, but I am thrilled with this odd, translucent Cyclops.
Below, Cyclops with future son, Nathan Summers, A.K.A. Cable, and fellow X-Man, Gambit ...
These are just big, dumb toys, some of them downright ugly, but some have a retro charm about them I really enjoy. Bishop, Forge and Cyclops fall into the latter category, but together are another level of fun together. But isn't that true about most action figures? Did you play with these 10" ToyBiz figures as a child, or do you have any in your adult collection?
I'm uncertain what led me to this somewhat obscure new JAKKS Pacific Big Figs Series 18" Classic Wonder Woman, but I couldn't resist ordering one. The articulation on these is very limited, but she sure is beautiful! I loved the metallic paint and cape on this special limited edition Wonder Woman, a reissue of the 2017 Big Figs Wonder Woman. Check out the video:
Release Date: September 27, 2020 Re-issue of the 2017 Bronze Age Wonder Woman large sized action figure with metallic imprinted details, inspired by 2010 DC Comics Licensing Artwork – Wonder Woman Pop Culture SS110.
Accessories include a blue and white fabric cape with red imprinted stars and a braided gold cord lasso. Packaged in a full-color collector-friendly window box with high-gloss accents featuring artwork from the 2008 DC Comics Justice League: Heroes United Core Comic Style Guide and various Wonder Woman comic book covers.Limited Edition of 1,160 pieces. Documentation includes hand-numbering on the manufacturer shipping carton. Exclusive to Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
And finally, a comparison not in the video above, JAKKS Pacific 18" Wonder Woman with my Mattel 12" DC Multiverse Wonder Woman, a fantastic action figure every fan of the character should own...
