You're right, we don’t know what could have been. I still have and love all of my TB Marvel Legends, so my intention isn’t to pillory the manufacturer. The TB Hulk classics, outside of Hasbro’s 80ths (new Fix It[s], as well), are still reigning supreme over what Hasbro has done with the jade giant. However, regardless of my love for TB, and despite the popular (and valid) lamentations that scores of teams are left undone, Hasbro has acquitted themselves very well delivering parts of numerous squads of both heroes and villains. IMO, on the matter of diverse team representation, Hasbro has even surpassed Mattel’s DCUC, which is no small feat.
Yeah X-Men Classics was frustrating at the time - it was amazing that an X-Men spinoff of Marvel Legends was made, but the original/non-comic designs took up valuable slots. That weird Angel figure, Magneto, multiple Wolvies, and at least two Beasts.
The version of Avalanche they released in that line made me SO angry... for years. I couldn't even display it.
Yeah X-Men Classics was frustrating at the time - it was amazing that an X-Men spinoff of Marvel Legends was made, but the original/non-comic designs took up valuable slots. That weird Angel figure, Magneto, multiple Wolvies, and at least two Beasts.
The version of Avalanche they released in that line made me SO angry... for years. I couldn't even display it.
But he came with a scrubber to clean your bathtub with!
I have to agree that some of those oddball original versions of characters based on nothing or obscurity (ML11 Ultron anyone?) were very frustrating to me, because they could also have put the same effort into making something people actually asked for. Some of those XMC figures I altogether skipped. That lanky Juggernaut? What the hell? I guess he was meant to go with Avalanche?
I did like that the Classics sublines supplemented ML in some really fun ways too. Got most of the Ultimate figures from this line. All of the F4, many of the X-Men (Nightcrawler and Sabretooth were highlights), Ultimate Spidey Rogues, all of this while Ultimate Universe was still hot. I wish some big gaps had been filled, even by Hasbro. I still ask for Ultimate Thor every now and then!
am I a Legends homer if there’s still some inkling of nostalgia and love for these figs? I even have the variants for Rogue (jacketless) and Beast (non-cat head and ‘chest-laptop’). Me have problem???
I see no problem. I bring up TB ML a lot. I still have a lot of love for the line and I go back to it and display those figures quite often.
I did like that the Classics sublines supplemented ML in some really fun ways too. Got most of the Ultimate figures from this line. All of the F4, many of the X-Men (Nightcrawler and Sabretooth were highlights), Ultimate Spidey Rogues, all of this while Ultimate Universe was still hot. I wish some big gaps had been filled, even by Hasbro. I still ask for Ultimate Thor every now and then!
Besides the Ultimates, TB did a decent amount of characters in their early 2000's looks: War Machine, Moon Knight, Wolverine (New X-Men and Astonishing), Kitty Pryde, Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp and Wonder Man, House of M and Young Avengers box sets to name a few. They did a decent mix of classic and modern (for the time) looks.
I’m sadly starting to part with most of my ToyBiz figures, there’s so so much good in that collection, just running out of space.
Totally agree the Classics assortments, Face Off Sets and exclusives really did fill out the collection back then and I get so nostalgic going through all of them.
I have to say; though despite never having any actual out of package breakage luckily back then, their durability is waning at this stage.
A whole bunch of my TB figures have proven fragile with only minor contact, Black Widow’s head, Wal Mart Antman’s left leg ball joint both snapped, Longshot and Iceman’s lower torsos both exploded Storm’s cape, DOFP Wolverine’s Jacket, Moon Knight’s cape have all disintegrated, Series V Colossus and both Captain Marvels are all getting very gummy. So sad
Most of my TB are in decent shape but yeah. Time for the vast majority to go. Most of mine are already gone. Still a few on display where they are the better or only version. A few in boxes I like so much I won't get rid of them.
I did not realize alot of those looks were in the comics. I wasn't keeping up with the comics around that time as I didn't have the funds. Most of the figures I actually bought off boardies or Ebay after the fact, cause I wasn't able to get them on release as well.
What's wrong with Avalanche? I still have the figure in my display. It has a few minor issues but I think it may look better then the new one.
I also have that Hulk Classics Bruce Banner and Hulk. It's crazy how both figures came in the same package, and they were like $6 back then. That would be unheard of now. That Hulk is also better then most of the ones Hasbro put out recently. Although, I don't have the newest ones. After I got the MS Giganto Hulk I never cared to get another one. He's about everything I could've asked for in a Hulk. I even got the Red Hulk version to match. I wish I would've gotten their abomination, but I have both the Hasbro comic ones so it's not a huge deal.
The only ToyBiz figures I still have on display are Simonson Beta Ray Bill and Asgardian. Everyone else has long since either departed this mortal realm, or been relegated to storage.
What's wrong with Avalanche? I still have the figure in my display. It has a few minor issues but I think it may look better then the new one.
The figure is great and the vibrating scrub brush base puts him over the top. People don't like him because he didn't look like that in the comics and he's got ball hips. That's an OCD double whammy.
I wonder how many still have a Toybiz figure in a mostly-all-Hasbro display even though there is a Hasbro alternative. I just put up a new X-Men display. Almost all Hasbro figures except for Bishop. I do have the Hasbro Bishop, but I just think there's more to look at with the TB. Would that ONE old figure surrounded by a sea of the latest offerings just send some people over the edge? I mean, WE know he's old, but the common man would have no idea. He blends in just fine.
What's wrong with Avalanche? I still have the figure in my display. It has a few minor issues but I think it may look better then the new one.
The problem is that it's an entirely invented costume for the toy line and doesn't match his comic appearances. They added all the "extreme" 90's flare with the shoulder pads and chest harness and splashed in a 3rd color on the costume for.... some reason. The helmet and chest harness have weird texturing for some reason.... so other than the fact that the character looks almost nothing like the comic character I guess he's great.
I have no interest in ever displaying any of my Toy Biz figures anymore, and I certainly wouldn't display them with my Hasbro ML. The aestheics are too different. I respect those old figures, but I don't need to see them displayed anymore.
For the record, I don't display any old Hasbro figures anymore either. I think the oldest Hasbro ML I still have displayed is Blob series She-Hulk. If it's been remade, the old one is replaced. The only others I'd consider still displaying are Ronan series Thing and Mr. Fantastic. The ones I want replaced the most are Banshee and Yellowjacket.
I've still got a crap ton of Toy Biz figures in my display, way too many to type out. I think the only thing that I actually have from that X-Men Classics line still displayed though is a "Wild Sentinel" that came with a Wolverine figure. I've also got an X-Jet flying over my display that came with what I think was an X-Men Classics 6-inch Wolverine. I've got several from the other "Classics" lines too still displayed too like Mecha Hulk w/ Gremlin, the F4 Classic Doombots (2 of those big clunky robot ones, not the Dr. Doom sized ones) and Impossible Man as examples. There are way too many figures from the primary Toy Biz Legends line in my display to bother listing off and the vast majority of them have never been redone by Hasbro. (Quick examples are the Young Avengers and Monsters box sets, Mandarin, Doop, Kristoff Vernard Inhuman Torch, etc, etc).
I've got TB Rhino and Vulture in my regular Spidey display, though I have the Retro Rhino on card ready to plug in at some point, but the original holds up so well. And I've got blue Angel and Psylocke still in my X-Men display, as well as TB BAF Apocalypse, Sentinel and the two-pack Wolverine without any torso articulation.
And then I have a separate classic Toy Biz display. 🙂
Latest Post: Marvel Select Our newest member: ug44Nix Recent Posts Unread Posts
