Tag: Marvel

If you have any doubt that Hasbro’s Marvel Universe line is doing well, you need look no further than the Secret Wars 2-packs. It’s a line extension in the first year of the Marvel Universe line, and it’s collector-oriented, tied in with the Secret Wars limited comic series that is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

While the series had a lot of reuse, I liked it a lot, since it brought us some unique characters that had never seen plastic before and some repaints in classic looks that were welcome.

Series 2 also features more reuse with Hulk, Iron Man, and Spider-Man in his symbiote suit – however this time it’s less welcome because the decos aren’t that distinguishing from their predecessors. Add some sloppy paint work and one particularly bad base body choice, and this series is knocked down a notch from what Hasbro achieved with the first.

Continue reading “Marvel Universe Secret Wars Series 2”

IGN has published an interview with Hasbro’s Scott George, Brand Manager on the Marvel team.  This is somewhat of an introduction to the Marvel Universe line, so for those of you who are well-initiated on the 3 3/4-inch line, you won’t find any big bombshells – although vehicles and playsets do get mentioned a couple of times.

Here’s an excerpt.

Inside Hasbro’s Marvel Universe

Marvel’s heroes and villains are hitting the small scale thanks to a new line of Hasbro toys.

IGN Comics: The first question is probably the most obvious – what attracted Hasbro to a 3 ¾” scale for Marvel characters? What advantages do you get by doing that type of model over other lines such as Marvel Legends?

Scott George: There is a large 3 ¾” fan community and we wanted to enroll this group in the Marvel line. One key advantage of this scale is that it allows us to do more and really expand the universe into things like vehicles, larger scale figures and environments… all that are affordable to the consumer and enable them to build a complete Marvel Universe.

IGN Comics: One of the questions we’re sure many collectors have right now is regarding the balance between Marvel Legends and Marvel Universe. There currently seems to be much more emphasis on Universe than Legends. Is that an appropriate assessment? What would you say to fans that are holding out on Universe because they want to see those figures brought into the Legends line?

George: We have a strong focus on Universe right now, because it’s a new line and a new scale. Although there are some new characters in Marvel Universe, most of them were previously issued in the Legends line. For the characters that have not been issued in Legends, we will be continuing with the Fan Polls and working on getting these figures to the fans.

IGN Comics: The “Marvel Universe” line has been out for about three-fourths of a year – how has the response been? Have you been able to attract a mix of the die-hard collectors, the comic book fans and the casual buyers?

George: The response has been phenomenal. We have attracted a mix of everyone: the 3 ¾” Star Wars and GI Joe collector, as well as Marvel fans who want to see characters in a new way. Starting this scale also creates the opportunity for collectors and fans to start from square one. This scale, at the lower price and with the additional play appeals to kids as well.

via IGN: Inside Hasbro’s Marvel Universe.

For more on Marvel Universe, check out our full coverage: Marvel Universe | ActionFigurePics.com