So with the SDCC 2014 exclusive set featuring Star-Lord, and the upcoming Jubilee wave featuring Stryfe and Jubilee as a Build-A-Figure, we’re starting to see some of the previously shown figures pop up in some capacity. This is good. While the entire climate around these figures has, frustratingly, shifted and we’re seeing more and more dominance by movie-themed waves, at least there are extremely difficult and risky ways to get some of the figures that have been shown. Nothing was ever going to be easy about this stuff, but they’re making Gladiator finally, so I guess that’s a plus.
But, Hasbro… you’re not done. There are a few figures that you can’t forget about. Let me repeat: you can’t forget about these figures. Not after dangling them. Mutants are going to find a way to get released, and Star-Lord was a cinch to be released with the Guardians getting so much buzz. But there are a few who may easily get lost in the cracks that can’t get lost.
The chief among these, to a large amount of people, would have to be Bulldozer. You started this long-needed team, even if the figures are on the wrong bodies, so now it’s time to finish them. You can’t leave us with an incomplete Wrecking Crew. That is cruelty beyond words. It’s already been a long time… it’s time to get these out. Don’t forget about that fourth member.
Speaking of one-time Masters of Evil members, I’ve got a few of those for you to remember also. Say, seems like a nice theme, doesn’t it? A nice theme to finally get these guys out there. Yep. Anyway, Blizzard and Radioactive Man were once Masters of Evil members, weren’t they? Why yes, yes they were. And Tiger Shark was also a member of that villainous team, wasn’t he? Please don’t forget about Tiger Shark either.
That’s four. Four one-time members of the Masters of Evil.
Wait, what’s that you say?
Batroc was also a member of the Masters of Evil?
Well, isn’t that interesting.
Five villains that were all part of the Masters of Evil, all unreleased, waiting for a method to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public.
Huh. Almost sounds like a perfect way to get these out.
I think the absolute saddest thing is that these were some of the figures I was looking forward to the most. See, I haven’t been that enthused about some of the choices that Hasbro’s been making. Not everything, but there’s been some blah stuff here or there. Of course, there’s been some figures I wasn’t enthused about that I then researched and ended up liking more than I thought, but others just didn’t do it for me. Protector was one of those. I liked him better when he was Morrison’s baby. But these figures were a non-stop barrage of awesome that kept coming. Blizzard looked perfect in his clean and simple classic costume. Tiger Shark was the epitome of badass, and Radioactive Man dates back to the beginnings of the Avengers.
I was extremely excited to be getting them all, especially since most had made it out in the smaller line. So figures I was most excited about get tossed into the void. Guh!
But that’s not all — that still leaves some unreleased figures that need to get out there. I think Hawkeye was the most egregious of them… sure, the modern was OK, if a bit plain in all its movie-inspired updatedness, but the classic Hawkeye costume is unique and original, and not getting that much-needed update to an older and crappier figure left a glaring whole in the line. Hawkeye is an Avenger mainstay and deserves to have the best possible version out there… sooner rather than later.
Speaking of people who were Thunderbolts and possibly future Avengers… Songbird is one of the original Thunderbolts, and her prototype needs to make it out also. While we’ve had good representation of the later Thunderbolts (boy, have we), but the originals haven’t had as good of luck. Hasbro is aiming a bit modern, but without a foundation, buildings crumble, so there’s a lot of Thunderbolts still in need of figures. While the Songbird was more modern flavored, she’s still a character with a 17-year history, and she deserves to have her figure released. Maybe with some better hair, though. Or an alternate head. Hell, Agent Venom is still waiting for his day also, and he’s yet another Thunderbolt. They released that red Punisher variant, so they seem to be aiming for Thunderbolts of every era. Well, except the first one. But still…
This is a lot sitting in the nexus of unreleased toys.
Don’t forget about these guys, Hasbro. And don’t make us wait forever. Don’t make me beg!
