There was a lot of Marvel Legends stuff to react to for 2018’s Toy Fair, so I won’t waste time with a bunch of preamble. I ran down what I wanted to see pre-show based on rumored lists and computer cheat sheets, and magically got my wish. Was I disappointed in what I saw, though? Let’s find out.
There was a lot of pre-Fair buzz about a tenth anniversary showing for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but nobody knew anything about what would be shown. There are a lot of MCU Collectors and a lot of MCU-only collectors, and as with anybody who wants movie figures it’s all about screen representation.
I’m kind of middle of the road. I used to hate movie characters in Marvel Legends, but they’re so damn good now that I really don’t mind them. On the other hand, if a character isn’t made, I’m not broken up about it. If I were forced to make a list of MCU characters that didn’t get a figure that I would have liked to get, it would have consisted of Yellowjacket. It was a great villain design from a surprisingly fun movie. Well, I got my wish, because he’s getting made and he looks great. He comes in a two-pack with MCU Ant-Man, which I kind of consider a win-win because it was another great design.
The rest of what was shown are not things I feel overly compelled to seek out, but I can see the appeal. Ronan, Mandarin, and Red Skull fill out the sorely lacking villain component, And I think everyone was surprised at the Pepper Potts. I can’t say I need a Gwyneth Paltrow figure, but it is cool that her arm can be consciously uncoupled and swapped with an Iron Man arm.
I skipped the previous Scarlet Witch but since she’s coming in a two-pack with Vision I’ll probably pick it up. Now they can get on that classic Vision figure.
So yeah, the movie side of things really got hammered with good stuff, and a lot of holes were filled. Even if you’re not into it, you have to appreciate it.
On to the comic stuff. We had a lot of info before the show, so a large portion of what was shown off was just checking off the things we knew about but wanted to see in person. Like, literally everybody on the planet wanted to see what the Thing would look like. Because we knew so much going in, there wasn’t a whole lot of super-surprises the likes of which the MCU side of things received. It was more about “which costume.” But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot of good stuff.
A Spider-Man wave was the first widely spread image. Spider-Man waves have been killing it lately and this one is no exception.
I was in on the ground floor for Cloak and Dagger and have always had a deep affection for them. The positive is that Cloak has a body, and that the Cloak is also functional with Dagger in that it and the head can be removed and she can be posed coming out of it. Or if you want, a bad guy can be posed getting absorbed into it. I didn’t get my wish of a fabric cloak, but that was honestly an empty hope anyway. If I can find some blue and black striped fabric I might make one for myself. I do echo the comments of some that I’d like a clean-shaven alternate head for Cloak, but I guess this ones skews a bit more modern in style. I’m just glad they’re finally being made.
Doctor Octopus looks great, but apparently his tentacles are rigid. I can’t say I’m a fan of this. As much good as Hasbro does on the toy front, there are a handful of decisions that seem to be a “two steps back” kind of thing, and this is definitely one of them. A Doctor Octopus with tentacles that don’t tenticulate just seems so 1999 to me. I can’t be alone in thinking a Doctor Octopus figure in 2018 should have been a mind-blowing marvel in action figure potential. Instead, he’s just going to stand there and kind of…gesture. I guess that’s why science invented those poseable USB lights, which I have four of sitting near my custom area ready to be used.
I have to say I loved the black Daredevil with the red boots and gloves. So dynamic, so pretty. That billy club effect is neat enough, but the snazzy black with red really taps my keys. Elektra looks like a nice redo of the old Elektra. Scarlet Spider is another update. Again, another great red and black design. They are definitely tickling my ivories with the red and black characters. The stinger hands are a great touch.
At one point I would have had no interest in a House of M Spidey, because House of M was unbelievably terrible. But again, the magic of Spider-verse hits and I’m in. Now let’s get an Assassin Spidey figure!
The Sp//der BAF is shorter than I was expecting, but still lo0ks great. Who would have thought it would ever get a figure?
The X-Men waves have been — to put it lightly — extremely popular. And it seems we all wanted to see what Magneto looked like. Would he be classic? Would he not be classic? Would he have sleeves? That would be a no yes and a yes, in that order. I was actually surprised at the reactions this Magneto got. It’s a pretty modern costume, and I think it ranks up there as one of his best. But the reactions made it seem as if somebody pooped in the pool. I guess this proves I have no clue what you people want, but outside of a good classic version that has yet to be made, this is a great choice.
I’m at the point where I’m tired of the words “Jim Lee” as a description, while still not having anything against those designs as a whole. But there’s really no way to describe some of these designs other than by their designer, so that’s a catch-22. Either way, the Sabretooth is the Jim Lee one, which replaces the old Sabretooth from way back in series 5. Which is to say, about damn time. I’m just happy to be getting a Sabretooth with fur around his shoulders. It’s a simple thing, but he looks naked without it.
Say, have you heard of this Deadpool fellow? I think he’s kind of popular. Well, you’re going to be wading in Wade before the year is through.
What do you call a fight between Storm and Deadpool? ‘Ro V Wade.
I’ll get my hat.
Anyway, We’ve got boxers Deadpool, X-Men costume Deadpool, Lady Deadpool with Headpool … yeah, choke on the Deadpools, bitches. Choke. On. Them.
Also, Bishop. Bishop is a huuuuge update over the old ToyBiz Bishop. That is a mullet that has its own zipcode. I’ve always liked Bishop. I like his power set, his bigass gun and the whole vibe he gives off. “You’re the traitor; you’re going to die!” and such. Remember that whole storyline? Yeah, that ended exactly as we expected.
People have wanted a Sauron forever. I have to admit that, while I like the character, I’m not as excited as many people are. I’m not unexcited, but I never felt unfulfilled that he hadn’t been made yet. I’ve never been all “Where’s Sauron? Where’s Sauron?????” Regardless, he looks great, although I would have liked him to have scrawnier legs, I think.
Venom is getting his own wave, because he’s getting his own movie. I like Tom Hardy, but I have no idea how a Venom movie will turn out. Could be good, could be bad. I didn’t pass that internet IQ test for nothing, you know.
Either way, it means toys, so that’s always a plus. We get a Venom that apparently comes with a 1:1 scale alternate Brock head with the Swedish Chef’s eyebrows. I think we’re all assuming the head might be smaller in production.
Carnage comes with an alternate Cletus head and a giant axe-hand. We’ve had both figures before but the addition of extra heads or hands makes them both rebuyable. I was surprised when the last Carnage came without an axe-hand.
Scream is another of the symbiotes born out of the unholy union between popularity and an alien oil slick. At one point I was thinking that I didn’t need all of those extra symbiotes, but after Lasher and now Scream, I’m just hoping they make them all.
Poison is one of those rare characters I didn’t know about before the announcement of a toy. After reading up on it, I still don’t know anything. But the figure looks cool and I’m in for whatever the BAF is going to be anyway, so I’ll end up with … whoever or whatever it is.
Spider-Ham … I’ve already gone into my opinions about Spider-Ham. Short take for a short pig: it’s awesome that they made him, but I have so many issues with his lower half and the lack of articulation therein.
We’re getting a Logan as an Ultimate rider. I think we all expected this. What I didn’t expect was the addition of a Patch head. I loved the span of stories where he slapped an eye patch on and decided that nobody would recognize a 5-foot 3-inch guy with adamantium claws wearing an eye patch. While I don’t see a figure of his all-black costume with the fishnet mask, at least the head exists. Plus, bike.
We’re finishing off the Fantastic Four with the Thing. Unfortunately, I already want a redo. It’s a fine-looking figure, it fits what a lot might want, especially if they don’t have such a firm idea of how they want him represented, but it just doesn’t do it for me. That’s as honest as I can be about it; this isn’t the way I want Thing portrayed. So with this figure I’ve decided to retire from wanting a toy company to provide me with the perfect Thing figure.
Silver Surfer, however, looks great. He’s going to be chrome, so he should be highly reflective. I’ve never been satisfied with any Surfer figure in the past, but this time it looks like they nailed what I want.
So that was Toy Fair. A lot of good figures, some surprises, a pair of disappointments and a few headscratchers. Basically, it was just like any giant toy festival that we all go nuts about. SDCC will be here before we know it.
