{mosimage}SamuRon here, subbing in for fan favorite RoboKillah, who somehow managed to get me to both compile the questions and post the answers this month. He’s more manipulative persuasive than Dr. Faustus!
Every few weeks Hasbro will be answering 5 questions pertaining to their Marvel product.
Here is the fourth round (it’s actually fifth, but Fwoosh being Fwoosh we missed the second round. doh!)….
1) We’ve really liked how themed waves of ML (like Fantastic Four and Spider-Man 3) have given us some characters we might not normally have gotten. What kind of media support is needed to make more of those happen? For example, do you need a movie (like the upcoming Iron Man and Hulk movies) or would special events in the comics suffice? We’d really love an Annihilation wave!
Let me just say this first… Annihilation rocks! But it would probably be difficult to put an entire wave on shelf for the mass market at one time. Similar to most teams and sub-segments of the Marvel Universe, you’re more likely to see some of these sprinkled in over time. You’ll get a taste of the Cosmic storylines when Nova comes your way this Spring. You’ll also see the 1st Legends Inhuman with Blackbolt!
2) The special events in the comics often lead to new character or costume opportunities with figures. For example, Civil War brought us Iron Spidey, and now the death of Captain America will result in a new Cap with an update to his costume. How do you work with the comics side of Marvel to make sure you’re capitalizing on those opportunities? Does that mean we’ll see another Cap soon?
We have a great relationship with the Marvel team – they’re awesome partners and as you can imagine… they’re a lot of fun! We’re always on the edge of our seats waiting to find out what’s happening next in the Marvelous Multiverse! As for the new Cap… we’ll have to ask that you wait and see!
3) You told us at SDCC that you’ve been considering lots of different "expressions" for Marvel toys, and Unleashed is the latest of those to hit the stores. One such expression we have really been expecting since the Marvel deal was announced is Marvel figures in the 3 3/4" scale. What are the chances we’ll see Marvel and GI Joes in the same scale? 3 3/4" scale would be good, but 6" would be even better!
This question sure comes up a lot! Spider-Man 3 Unleashed is out there now and most collectors have already gotten a glimpse of the new Marvel Unleashed (featuring Spidey & Green Goblin in wave 1) that will hit shelves in early 2008. Mighty Muggs will be the next big one to come your way. We can’t really speak for the Joe team and we can’t discuss new ideas and expressions beyond those two items right now.
4) Speaking of Unleashed, Fwooshers have been wondering again about articulation – we’re seeing the double-jointed elbows and knees now in 8", 12" and even 3 3/4" (with the 25th Anniversary Joes). What is it about the "elbros" and ball-jointed knees that make them desirable in 6" but not the others?
What’s an elbro? Just kidding… You’ll see a mix of these throughout the different Marvel lines. We’re trying to include as many as we possibly can…where they make sense. It’s all about finding the right balance between articulation and deco to maintain a certain price point. As I’m sure Fwooshers know, every additional point of articulation & deco op adds to production cost, so we truly look at each character’s character (if you will) to see what makes sense for that figure. For instance, the most recent wave of 6" Legends features 5 characters with both double elbows & double knees. Some have toe breaks, some don’t. Some have Bicep swivels and some don’t. Marvel Girl doesn’t have any of these in order to maximize her aesthetic qualities. It’s the same theory with our Icons – some have doubles, some don’t. Many of the G.I. Joes have double knees… but none of them have double elbows…. While we know you guys want maximum articulation & deco, it really is about finding the right balance. We’re excited about our line and hope the fans enjoy the overall direction.
5) Fall Toy Fair just ended – what was the general reaction to the offerings for ’08? How will the Marvel figure lines change? For example, will we see more new expressions or focus on existing lines? A shift to or from movie lines? Double elbows and double knees? 
You’re going to see a whole lot of fun stuff in 2008. Lots of movie and non-movie Marvel product. Plenty of new expressions (like Mighty Muggs) but lots of focus on the classics (Marvel Legends) as well. Tons of new Super Hero Squad… and a lot of awesome stuff that we just can’t talk about yet!
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