Time has a way of pointing and laughing at you. It seems like it was just yesterday when you could get a figure and bike crammed into clam shell packaging for 8 dollars. Now, it’s 40 dollars. I’m not overly sentimental about ToyBiz, but I am sentimental about cheap toys. Cheap toys are the greatest.
But prices increase and people adapt to the new normal. When the Ultimate Riders concept was announced, with Black Widow and Ghost Rider debuting in the inaugural wave, everybody immediately began to wonder what was next, because toy collectors are never satisfied. We want the toys now, and then we want the next toys, and we want to know what’s coming down the line.
I have Ghost Rider in hand, and I’ll be grabbing Black Widow at some point. While getting a bike for Widow has never been a pressing need, Ghost Rider without a bike just seems incomplete. It’s almost like getting half a toy.
We got a peek at civilian Logan at the 2018 Toy Fair, a fairly obvious choice who will be more than welcome. But who else will have a chance in this line?
I tend to think we won’t be getting anything extremely involved. I don’t see Punisher’s Battle Van, for instance, at least not at the 40 dollar price point. But bikes or similar concepts I think are fair game. There go my hopes for a Spider-Mobile.
So what does that leave? Let’s take a look at the top five Ultimate Rides that could make it in this line.
In no order:
Professor X and Hoverchair
I would no doubt be crucified by the legion of Jim Lee fanatics if I left this off of a top five. Professor X with hoverchair was teased a long long time ago by ToyBiz, but never made it out for one reason or the other. He is consistently brought up as a missing component of the traditional ’90s X-men team. While I don’t see Charles in charge coming in a standard Ml package, I do think he woud have a shot in the Ultimate rider line. Whether or not people are comfortable paying 20 dollars for a hoverchair is up to the individual, but I’d wager more would than wouldn’t. While suit and tie seems the obvious choice, I’d like to see him in his battle uniform. It would be more versatile if you wanted to pretend it was that time he had use of his legs for about 30 seconds before he fell off the escalator again or something.
Captain America with Motorcycle
I know, we’ve had a Captain America only recently in the vintage line, and another one not too long before that. But the noteworthy thing about both of those releases is the lack of sculpted mail on his chest and arms, and the near universal dislike for his head. The vintage line at least acknowledged the lack of sculptwork by painting the scales on. If they wanted to go all out and make you want to buy Captain America all over again, the best way to go about that would be to do the requisiste sculptwork, give him a better head, and give him a bike. Black Widow was just made in the vintage line also, but that didn’t stop her from getting remade and put on a bike. I’m an absolute sucker and would buy him a third time if he was upgraded. I can’t be the only idiot out there. Please tell me I’m not the only idiot out there. I don’t want to have to register with reverse MENSA. ASNEM doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Dan Ketch Ghost Rider with Hellcycle
Ghost Rider as a concept had been dormant for nearly eight years when a brand new Ghost rider comic hit the shelves. When it hit, though, it hit hard, like a flaming chain. The bike was cool. The brand new black riding leathers were cool. The mood was cool. That first issue was—and I’m not overselling it at all—the coolest damn comic of 1990. There were spikes and chains and flaming heads and it was aimed right at the soul of a teenager.
It didn’t take long for the new Ghost rider to become bogged down by the excesses of the ’90s. I’m not sure if it’s recovered yet. But all of that is meaningless in the face of the fact that the Dan Ketch version of GR and the Hellcycle is perfect for this line, and that ToyBiz figure is in desperate need of upgrading.. If it’s not the next reveal, I’ll riot.
Hawkeye with Sky-Cycle
While Hasbro put out a Hawkeye a few years ago, it had some issues. It lacked the bright purple of his classic costume, the modernesque armored arm was stolen from (I think) Winter Soldier, and it just lacked pizzazz. But another one that skewed a bit more classic in interpretation, with two arms that are of equal length, and some version of his sky-cycle would be more than welcome. I’m not too picky about the design of his cycle. They’ve all been very similar in build: flying bike. I’ve always been fond of the concept, and while it was cool that the ToyBiz Hawkeye came with an Atomic Steed, it was no sky-cycle.
And finally
The Orb with bike
Okay, so this is total daydream pick, but it’s my list, get your own. If they want to get their money out of their bike mold, then they could release this gigantically eyeballed dude along with that same bike. I can probably count on one hand the number of people who would pay 40 dollars for the Orb and bike. I somehow doubt he’d get a standard wave release, let alone something like this, but I had one slot left on my top five, and I couldn’t fill it with “all the members of Team America” so I went with the Orb. He was a pretty important player in that comic event a few years ago, right? Surely that should qualify him for a deluxe figure.
Surely.
Shirley?
Shore leave?
Sure.
Have some different picks? Yes you do! Leave a comment, and maybe Hasbro or somebody affiliated with Hasbro is listening.
