While many Fwooshers have been pleased with the direction that Hasbro is taking its Marvel action figure lines (see the Toy Fair 2008 – Hasbro Marvel Report), they’ve also been scratching their heads over what was noticibly missing.
In this report, I’ll highlight the three big hitters that we didn’t hear about.
Hasbro Marvel Legends 4
First revealed during San Diego Comic Con in July last year, Marvel Legends wave 4 was slated
to include Astonishing Beast, a Tim Bradstreet Punisher, Tigra, Black
Bolt, classic Nova, and first appearance Daredevil. Variants shown at
the show included a camoflage redeco for Punisher, a "blue" Black Bolt,
and a red Daredevil.
When HML3 started hitting retail in October, Fwooshers started looking
forward to HML4 at the end of the year. However, in November online
retailers started removing Astonishing Beast from their listings for
HML4, starting panic waves through the Fwoosh until it was confirmed
that Beast wasn’t canceled, only delayed. The due date
for the series at online retailers was pushed out to March 2008.
Hasbro Marvel Legends Icons 5 and 6
Like HML4, Icons wave 5 and 6 were revealed during last year’s San
Diego Comic Con. Both waves
were very highly anticipated. Wave 5 was slated to include Daredevil
and Nightcrawler with a variant first appearance Daredevil – it was
originally due in late 2007. Wave 6 was slated to include Colossus and
Phoenix with a variant Dark Phoenix – it was originally due in January.
The timing for these waves became suspect when wave 4 (Cyclops and
Magneto) had widespread availability with online stores, but nearly
completely absent through traditional mass market retailers – there was
a sighting reported at TJ Maxx in
December. Fwooshers became further concerned when Cool Toy Review
reported Hasbro’s 2008 plans
– Icons were notably absent. Since then, Daredevil and Nightcrawler
have been spotted in the Philippines, but
have yet to surface in the US.
When we asked Hasbro about the status of HML4 and Icons, we were
assured they were both still coming, but that the timing was
uncertain. Online retailers confirmed that these products were not
represented on Hasbro’s shipping lists – but these are expected to be
updated at the end of this week, after the conclusion of Toy Fair.
We’ll ask for an update next week.
Hasbro Marvel Universe (3 3/4-inch figures)
The Cool Toy Review article we referenced earlier included a new Marvel
line called Marvel Universe, with two 6-figure waves in the 3 3/4-inch
scale. Figures would come with a "secret profile" and an "interactive
game," harkening back to Toy Biz’s Super Hero Showdown figures.
While Marvel figures in the GI Joe scale had been anticipated since the
Hasbro / Marvel deal was announced, neither Toy Fair UK or this week’s
Toy Fair had mention of the Marvel Universe line. We asked Hasbro if
this was coming – their answer was that they had no news for us at this
time.
On the Fwoosh staff, we’re fairly convinced this is coming our way.
With the rising cost of oil (the primary raw material for both plastic
and paint), plus the resurgence of the 3 3/4-inch scale in Hasbro’s GI
Joe product line, we would be truly surprised if Marvel Universe is
anything but an announcement away from being a
reality.
Stay tuned – maybe this is something we can expect for 2009.
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