Posted by: @derrabbi

↑

If they do release a blue costume Angel in time then its easy to know where to space them out on your shelves.  The blue and white goes on the Xmen shelf by the other Neil Adams like figures they have (classic Iceman, Marvel Girl, Havok and Polaris) and the red Angel goes up on the Defenders shelf. Of course they need a few additional figures for both. X-Men need a Neil Adams red and blue Beast. They should also redo a Byrne / Cockrum Cyclops pinless and throw in another head with the Neil Adams narrow visor. A lot of us would buy 2.  We all know they need Gargoyle, classic Valkyrie and a few others to round out the classic Defenders. 

Huh. I didn't expect to come away from the stream as the person who enjoyed it the most. I thought they crushed it. Even the stuff I'm not interested in looks fantastic. Sam Cap, Hydra Cap, Brood Wolverine (!!), Lady Mandarin, and the Patch & Joe Fixit set are top quality.

I've been critical of the Marvel team for years. They really delivered here. I can't wait to get my hands on Magneto, the Logan & Sabretooth two-pack, and Angel.

I can tell Angel is an impressive figure because I prefer him with blue skin in his blue and pink Archangel duds and yet I'm still picking him up and putting him in my main display.

Because I can't just say a nice thing, how great would it have been if they had sculpted boot tops for Vision and Angel? That's one re-use right off the bat. 🙄 

Posted by: @maschine9

↑

Warren and Lady Mandarin look incredible, as did the press pics of Lilandra. Off to a good start to 2024! Still holding out hope for an Outback Psylocke this year.

It's coming. Someone pointed this out in another thread (I apologize, I can't remember who). Lilandra herself is the perfect base for armored Betsy.

Posted by: @derrabbi

↑

If they do release a blue costume Angel in time then its easy to know where to space them out on your shelves.  The blue and white goes on the Xmen shelf by the other Neil Adams like figures they have (classic Iceman, Marvel Girl, Havok and Polaris) and the red Angel goes up on the Defenders shelf. 

Somehow you misspelled Champions there...

Lady Mandarin + Lilandra = Outback Psylocke

I'm seriously considering Sabretooth, so they got me there. 😆 

Posted by: @panthercult

↑

Posted by: @derrabbi

↑

If they do release a blue costume Angel in time then its easy to know where to space them out on your shelves.  The blue and white goes on the Xmen shelf by the other Neil Adams like figures they have (classic Iceman, Marvel Girl, Havok and Polaris) and the red Angel goes up on the Defenders shelf. 

 

Somehow you misspelled Champions there...

 

LOL. He's in both wasn't he? Just surprised anyone would have a Champions shelf.

Wow! That Angel looks incredible! Nice to see my favorite character get a lot of love. I can't wait to pre-order. The fact they put so much into those wings makes me think it's very likely we will get variant versions, and I'll buy them all (hoping for at least the blue and white halo and red and white X-Factor versions)! I hope this is also a sign that we will get an updated classic Archangel, too.

Sabertooth looks pretty great (heads do look a little too big, but minor issue). Patch and Joe Fixit were never that high on my most wanted list, but they do look good.

I'll pick up the Lilandra two-pack, but I'll probably pass on the Madripoor Wolvie/Lady Mandarin. Probably going to get the Sam Cap, too. He looks pretty good.

Posted by: @derrabbi

↑

Posted by: @panthercult

↑

Posted by: @derrabbi

↑

If they do release a blue costume Angel in time then its easy to know where to space them out on your shelves.  The blue and white goes on the Xmen shelf by the other Neil Adams like figures they have (classic Iceman, Marvel Girl, Havok and Polaris) and the red Angel goes up on the Defenders shelf. 

 

Somehow you misspelled Champions there...

 

LOL. He's in both wasn't he? Just surprised anyone would have a Champions shelf.

 

He was definitely in both - and he switched from his yellow shirt/red pants w/ suspenders costume to the white and red early in the Champions run.   

I just have an unhealthy obsession with the Champions as a comic book -  I love it's silly little 17 issue run SO much.    I honestly wish it had got to keep going so it could grow Black Goliath and Darkstar into bigger more central characters so that when Hercules and Black Widow inevitably had to go back to the Avengers the title could keep going.   And it would have saved Warren from that trashy romance with Dazzler and then limbo until the Defenders stint...

Anyway  I definitely have a Champions display because I have numerous Black Widow Figures, multiple Hercules, various Ice Men, Darkstar,  Ghost Rider and this Angel can slide right in.     I did have to customize a Black Goliath - but ...

Anyway,  I also liked the New Defenders well enough and am desperate for a Gargoyle figure.   I'll get two of this Angel figure to display both places and then hope the inevitable re-color gets released for my X-Men shelf.

I know the flame effect has a square pegs on top, which makes attached a figure directly odd but what about it belonging to...

Shi'ar Imperial Guard member Starbolt?   Another Imperial Guard member to join Gladiator and the more recent Fang.

@panthercult Hey that's my era of goofy comics too. I get it; I have some nostalgia for it too. Was always a weird mixture.

"People like these team books; let's make a new team"
"Good idea; who should lead the team?"
"Black Widow is always underused; let's let her lead"
"Awesome; makes sense. So who's the heavy?"
"Hercules isn't in anything"
"ohhhhkay ... that sort of works ... kinda. Who else are they going to talk to?"
"I was thinking Ghost Rider"
"......."

Man, a lot of these head sculpts are so meh or below par.  Look at the Hair on Angel.  Is that supposed to look like a sea anemone or hair?   Sabretooths hair also looks terrible, and I'm not that fond of either headsculpt either.  The Apocalypse head sculpt was sharper and better, even thought it wasn't that great to begin with.

Those Logan head sculpts look like he's related to the american gothic guy, while the patch head sculpt looks great?

To be fair, a lot of headsculpts have been letting me down lately in multiple toy lines.  I would really like that trend to stop.

Please, artists work with manufacturers to make sure the final molding process doesn't make your work look like it melted.

(See Quick Kick)

Posted by: @derrabbi

↑

@panthercult Hey that's my era of goofy comics too. I get it; I have some nostalgia for it too. Was always a weird mixture.

"People like these team books; let's make a new team"
"Good idea; who should lead the team?"
"Black Widow is always underused; let's let her lead"
"Awesome; makes sense. So who's the heavy?"
"Hercules isn't in anything"
"ohhhhkay ... that sort of works ... kinda. Who else are they going to talk to?"
"I was thinking Ghost Rider"
"......."

 

Honestly, given the timing of the Champions release - Ghost Rider might have been the sales draw for the book in 1975.     Black Widow had been kicked out of the co-lead role in Daredevil,  Angel and Iceman had just been shoved to the side with the X-Men and were not in the plans for the new team -  but Ghost Rider's solo book was hot and going strong in '75.     I'd bet it was his membership that got the title green lit in the first place. 

Between MCU movies bombing and actors in legal trouble, Di$ney constantly demanding more content, and things being pushed back or canceled for this reason or that, the MCU is in a bit of a pickle right now.  The figures are seemingly getting the trickle down from that mess.  "Grab an Iron Man and a Spider-Man and roll them out again" is the depth of MCU related planing that Hasbro has to do at this point in time.

Definitely getting that Angel, even though I prefer blue/white.  At least I can swap on the bland blue face from the Archangel figure for a more Salvador Larocca looking late 90s Angel.  May need to source a 5pk Hank Pym head for an unmasked portrait.  Don't really want Brood-verine so I'll likely wait for a sale for Lilandra.  Sabretooth looks great, and that's a better looking street-clothes Wolverine, plus I can give the cards to Gambit.  My guess for the fire stand would be Excalibur Rachel Summers; maybe Magma or an Imperial Guard character, but I think Rachel Summers given the swirling licks of flame that remind me of Retro Phoenix somewhat.  No need for Patch/Joe Fixit as I've never really liked that look.  Probably will get the Lady Mandarin pack on sale mostly just for the pinless Wolverine, as I don't mind the outfit but never liked Silvestr's pantyhose mask thing from the last one.  Plus I need the cuffs for 90s Havok still.  Overall a decent showing, mostly just excited for Angel and Sabretooth though.

@panthercult Champions was just a bit before my time reading, but not my older brother so I came to them after their run was over thanks to him.  Same with a lot of the 70s books.  My first exposure to them was my brother's collection.  They definitely seem like a team (book) that was made to bring together a bunch of character with nowhere else to go at the time.  That didn't detract from the book at all.

@ashtalon OH YES PLEASE!!!

I would love it if that was a tease for Starbolt.  However if that peg is square shaped, that pretty much guarantees it won't be for a figure's foot peg since they are round.  Now of course it could just be one part of a larger display stand and the rest of it pegs into the square point, and a figure just kind of rests in the flame like Nova from the Galactus Haslab. 

If that is all there is to the display flame then the square peg would mean that whatever attaches to it isn't a figure foot, but probably something mechanical, and maybe it is the "blast" flame from an engine??  Maybe?

Anyway as to today's reveals:

X-Men 97 wave two was pretty strong showing.  I will probably get Magneto on sale for the heads to use on his wave 1 body.  Jean, Cyclops and Nightcrawler are all nice updates that, again, I will be on the look out for on sale.  Goblin Queen is nice, but again I don't see me picking her up unless on sale.   X-Cutioner is not someone I am really familiar with since I didn't read X-Cutioner's Song, but the look is pretty cool and I'll probably pick him up down the road.

Wolverine's two packs:

Lilandra/Brood Wolvie.   Not really a fan of either character's look.  Lilandra will probably make me buy this set on sale just to have her served by the Imperial Guard.  Brood Wolvie holds no interest for me, but I can appreciate them not just giving us another Wolverine "WITH NEW HAT!"

Lady Mandarin/Ninja Wolvie.   This version of Psylocke is actually a favourite of mine.  Probably due to the Mandarin connection and armour.  She is the selling point for me in this set.  Ninja Wolverine is an easy pass so again "on sale."

Patch/Joe Fixit.  Now we are talking.  Patch is a silly alter ego/disguise, but I am down for Wolverine and Hulk (excuse me Joe Fixit) in tuxedos.  Definitely going to pick this one up.

Sabretooth/Wolvie.   Ugh.  I do not like "jeans and shirt" Wolverine in any form so this really detracts from the two pack for me.  However that Sabretooth is looking pretty close to what I want for a Jim Lee version.  So this will be a yes with Wolverine ending up in storage.

Iron Spidey and Iron Man MK85 are both easy passes.  I don't really collect MCU and have no need for these two figures.

Hydra Cap.  I like the look, and the shield (can't have too many variants on his shield).  However I don't really need this figure.  He'll be "on sale" pick up.

Falcon Cap.  This is an easy pick up.  I don't have any figure of this Cap yet due to the pain in the butt trying to collect the whole figure from the BAF wave and other releases not really doing it for me due to missing something.  This looks to be as close to perfect for me so definitely getting this one.

ANGEL, ANGEL, ANGEL!!!  Damn those wings!!!  Great looking figure and another that will probably cause me to break my preorder rule.   So who else can use those wings?  Obviously a blue repaint, and maybe even an original X-Men appearance for Warren.  But which other characters could use those wings?