MARVEL UNIVERSE WAVE 6, 2010 Series 1!!!!
Featuring: Spider-Man (HOM), Vision, Jean Grey (Jim Lee), Sunfire, Wolverine (Jim Lee Uncanny), Warpath (X-Force Strike Team)
Stats
Company: Hasbro
Year: 2009/2010
Size: Sunfire (4 1/8" Inches) Vision (3 7/8") Warpath (4 1/2") Wolverine (4 1/8") Spider-Man (4 1/4") Jean Grey (4 7/8")
Cost: $8.44 each + Tax (Wal-Mart Stores)
Packaging: Carded
Wow! What an unexpected surprise Wave 6 was. Originally slated for early 2010, the apparent success rate of the Marvel Universe toyline bumped these guys up in release date by months. In fact it was only a month or so since Wave 5 really started filling out store shelves. Firstly we see a reformat on the packaging. Osborne and Hammer take off where Fury and Shield left off, and the numbering system starts over back at 1. And instead of a blue backdrop on the back of the cards, it is now red. The packaging style still remains the same as the 2009 series. But instead of a small circular Shield emblem we get a Hammer symbol.
So who do we get in this nice little mixed wave? Why 6 new figures, 4 of which are all new characters!
Wave61.jpg 112.28K 21 downloads
From Left to Right we have Sunfire, Vision, Warpath, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Jean Grey all arrayed in their newly finished plastic glory! Personally, I find this wave to be just great! We get a nice variety of characters of the A and B variety. All look pretty great don't you think?
Wave63.jpg 133.53K 6 downloads Wave65.jpg 147.07K 6 downloads
Also of special note is that each figure from this wave on will include a special character specific Display Stand! Which is actually pretty nice, since although these guys are pretty balanced, their small stature and light weight make it easy to play dominos when trying to move these guys around in your display. Hopefully a Stand pack will be released for the first years assortment of stand-less figures. Each stand features the figure # and Character name printed on a MARVEL encrusted black chunk of plastic.
Stands.jpg 125.89K 9 downloads
Each figures peg holes in their feet fit snuggly onto the little pegs as well. The light weight of the figures make it extra nifty, since you can usually pose them efficiently while still pegging at least one foot into place. Although I plan on using the stands in my display, I don't think they are necessary for my pictorial. Hopefully the inclusion of these nifty little stands won't influence the inclusion of accessories in the future... I can't see how they would when Hasbro can chunk a bunch of useless accessories in their Rise of Cobra Joe lines plus a stand. We will see.
Sunfiregroup.jpg 123.83K 7 downloads
So first up we have Sunfire! Hmm.. A little tall for a Japanese ain't he? Well in either case Hasbro picked the perfect body type to reflect the character.
SunfireComp.jpg 136.03K 9 downloads
Mr. Yoshida uses the Newest Guardian Body type which is also shared by Cyclops. Of course he has a new head sculpt which is pretty spot on to the masked hero, but also there is an interesting retool to the waist of the figure to include a small red gem. Not sure why they bothered doing this... guess they care about us, as I've seen images of Sunfire with and without this gem. Of course he is well articulated, however his head does little more than swivel side to side.SunfireFront.jpg 115.61K 3 downloads SunfireBack.jpg 112.89K 3 downloads
Paint apps appear nice for the most part with some gold flames around the eyes and up the forehead. He also has yellow flaming around the wrists and ankles, which are decently stenciled, but not always perfectly filled out. I am really fond of the white pinstripes running down his chest and back. It's very straight and mostly clean. Sunfire also comes with the same flame attachment used so many times by all those pesky Human Torches and Iron Fist figures. It fits nicely on his fist hand without really having to wrap the flame around his wrist. I'm very glad to have this character, but at first I wasn't sure what to think, as Sunfire isn't one of my first choice characters.
SunfireClose.jpg 88.5K 3 downloads
Sunfire gets a 6/8!!!
VisionGroup.jpg 120.49K 7 downloads
Next up is Vision! A little short for an Android maybe? Eh... I was stoked to be getting a Vision anyway, though I am not too thrilled about the body type. I'd have preferred the Guardian body, as Vision has almost always been depicted as a tall full bodied character. The shorter and questionably scaled DareDevil body type is used instead. I can live with it, and this body isn't all bad, but I feel it's getting a bit over used.
VisionFront2.jpg 123.11K 7 downloads VisionBack.jpg 119.33K 4 downloads
As you can see he has a bunch of body brothers, and this isn't half. Aside from the head, there is nothing new going on here. I think his head looks a bit chunky for someone who should be more sleek in appearance... I hope Wonder-Man won't be chunky if we get one. His head only swivels however, and worse, sort of looks down. Kind of disappointing.
VisionComp2.jpg 126.13K
9 downloads
VisionComp4.jpg 136.92K
5 downloads
How about them paint apps? Well Vision is metalized in appearance, and painted from head to toe with metallic green and yellow paint. He has three pin lines down his torso, which aren't very dark. He also has his trademark diamond emblem on his chest, though it sort of flows into that peck crevice of his. I do like the paint apps on the face though. The red face seems pretty good, and he has black eyes with gold pupils which has a rad effect. The little bead on his forehead is also Gold. Vision doesn't need accessories really, so he only comes with his trusty cape...Why does an android need a cape anyway? Eh who cares, it looks cool, and is a soft rubbery plastic, which can slide right over his head. A fun character, though I'm not too fond of the metallics... I'd much prefer a matte color scheme familiar to the old school Avenger comics. Hopefully we will get one.
VisionClose.jpg 92.39K 2 downloads
Vision gets a 5/8
WarpathGroup.jpg 123.94K 9 downloads
Warpath! Thunderbird's little brother isn't very little, but not as big as Liefeld once made him. Of course the only body type to use would be the Big Body type of Thunderball. Stacking out at 4 and a half inches it does it's job of making Proudstar tower over everyone else. Aside from the obvious new head sculpt, which is pretty good itself, new forearms and lower legs are added to the body type, as well as a new open left hand. A great articulated body type for sure, nice and solid.
WarpathComp.jpg 135.23K
8 downloads
TeamColors.jpg 137.86K
8 downloads
Paint apps are bit poor though. Like the silver lining on X-Force Strike Team's Wolverine from Wave one, there is a tad bit of sloppiness. Some times the silver isn't perfectly stenciled on, and some minor overflow can occur. My biggest gripe is on the face though. His Domino masks black paint can appear runny, as well as around the foreheads hairline. But the inset eyes of the mask are painted red, which appears okay. It just doesn't look that good up close.
WarpathFront1.jpg 113.92K 5 downloads WarpathBack1.jpg 123.93K 4 downloads
Warpath comes with two Knives made of a soft plastic. So there can be some slight bend to them, but this helps the guards fit over his fingers when being held. Also he has a small X belt with a knife sheath on the back. It can only hold one knife completely, maybe both if you only stick them in halfway.
WarpathBack2.jpg 96.2K 6 downloads
A great figure, and a welcome sizable character to fill out your growing Marvel Universe collection. Can't wait to snag that Classic X-Force variant.
WarpathClose.jpg 91.75K 3 downloads
Warpath gets a 5/8
WolverineGroup.jpg 128.94K 10 downloads
The ever Staple Wolverine! Oh boy! A new Wolverine figure, what should I do? In a year that has been filled to the brim with Wolverines, you would think I was tired of him by now. But no. I actually very much like this figure, though the scale is still off in the MU series. Again another reused Body...the Wolverine Body type of course. however there are a few very noticeable differences this time. First the lower legs are all new to compliment the classic Uncanny X-Men uniform. And also the belt on the torso has been retooled with a frickin huge X symboled buckle! I love this buckle. These changes only make me think we are in for more X-Men who will share this uniform and body.... Forge would be welcomed!
WolverineComp2.jpg 137.67K 11 downloads WolverineComp3.jpg 142.21K 8 downloads
Then there is the new head sculpt. A lot of folks don't like this head, and have complained about it. But I actually really like it. It reminds me of some of the comic art from the era, and has a cool profile. There is a variant head for this figure out there however, so if you don't like this one, you can just wait till the other one pops up. I marked this Wolverine Uncanny Jim Lee, but I'm really unsure who designed the uniform, however Jim Lee was working with the Uncanny series during the time this costume popped up on the radar. I really dig this uniform, and only hope to get more characters sharing it. The paint apps really pop, and scream X-Men to me. The yellow around the boots and gloves can be a tad sloppy, and the yellow around the shoulder hinge isn't properly filled out showing blue around the edges. The yellow has very nifty orange/brown washes to help the musculature stand out for sure. The head paint can be hit and miss, mine looks okay, there are some flaws around the hair line. But what is really cool is the blue wash in the hair, again giving that comic art feel I love. Sadly the silver on the claws sucks, and i can see the yellow peering through on the undersides.
WolverineFront.jpg 112.19K 7 downloads WolverineBack.jpg 104.36K 4 downloads
Logan doesn't come with any accessories, but he does have two yellow belts wrapped around his thighs, don't know if they are glued on, or just snugged in place. A great possible team builder, and if he ends up peg rotting I can see some great customs coming from this body type hitting the net I'm sure.
WolverineClose.jpg 84.47K 5 downloads
Wolverine Gets a 5/8
SpideyGroup.jpg 128.14K 8 downloads
Our ever dependable Constant, Spider-Man! I didn't know anything about House of M till someone slipped a Marvel Legends HOM insert into an eBay order a year or so ago. And needless to say the character designs were pretty cool. Spider-Man was one of them. I actually totally overlooked this fig in the SDCC 09' galleries till someone pointed it out, and I fell in love with the figure immediately. The costume design is fresh and new without over doing it. Unlike the Scarlet Spider costume was in the 90's which seemed to change most everything. But whatever! This figure again reuses a familiar body type. The Black Costume Spider-Man Body to be exact. This body type is half decent I think, it's sleek and thin which is perfect for certain characters like Spidey. And is of course very articulated. Nothing new here at all I don't think... The head may be new.. can't really tell.
SpideyComp.jpg 133.98K 12 downloads
But the biggest and most amazing transformation is of course with the paint apps! And they did wonders! Everything is stenciled on, and very cleanly I might add. Perfect red stenciling, perfect webbing! It's just eye candy from head to toe. Even the hands have little web patches stenciled on. The only flaw I could find was the red stenciling on the back lower torso appears to have been applied slightly crooked, so the web lines don't fit on it. It's not too noticeable though. There is also a dark blue wash on the blue parts of the body. It looks like a rash in some spots, but isn't really that bad.... I kind of like it.
SpideyFront2.jpg 135.7K 11 downloads SpideyBack.jpg 129.26K 9 downloads
Spidey comes with two accessories. His webbing which was molded in black and then deeply washed with a greenish paint, which looks very cool. And a web pack carrying all of his knick knacks like his camera clothes, etc. The pack is very nicely sculpted and painted. It makes for a neat new accessory. This is by far the best Spidey figure yet I think, and I'm sure we will continue to get Spideys in the future. So don't worry!
SpideyClose.jpg 90.38K 3 downloads
Spidey gets a 7/8
JeanGroup2.jpg 133.49K 5 downloads
Last, and sort of Least, yet most anticipated is Jean Grey! I don't know where to start really. Jim Lee's character designs were some of the best in the 90's, and he did a great job revamping the X team. Making them more unique for sure. I've always been a fan of this costume, so was very happy to hear we were getting her in her early 90's garb. But after getting her I kind of wish it would have been later rather than sooner. She just feels sort of rushed. First off, Jean is an entirely new sculpt from head to toe! The first in a while, and a very welcome one at that. A new Female body was sorely needed. Sadly unless Hasbro plans on popping out more unique sculpts.. I don't see how this body type could be used for future ladies.
JeanComp1.jpg 125.19K 15 downloads
Happily Jean has a new articulation point that was missing from earlier ladies. The Elbow swivel! Good thinking Hasbro, this new joint helps accomplish fuller arm motion without compromising the already hacked upper arms. I guess they pulled a tip from the Star Wars team. She also has another point of Articulation, easily forgotten about. The first Ladies only had an Ab Crunch of sorts, but Jean has the same torso articulation as most other body types. A side lean. So she has even more mobility. The Jean body has a sculpted in X belt, as well as little armor spots on each side of her upper legs. Her forearms also have wrist gauntlets sculpted in. The head has been a complaint issue since we first saw shots of her from the 09' SDCC. Not only does the head look small, but it sort of looks shuved down onto the neck. The fact is the neck is there, it is just sort of sculpted on an unnecessary angle, so it is somewhat deceptive. However this doesn't help the appearance. The head is way too small. I'm really hopeful that we will get another Jean with a better head. We have already seen 2 figures receive new heads. Punisher's first doofy head was replaced for a Wave 3 Punisher, and This waves Wolverine already has a new more refined head sculpt variant. Hasbro has been keen so far on fixing major complaints about this line. The hair also hinders the articulation of the neck, but the hair is soft and pliable, so you can get it to move if you want it to.
JeanFront.jpg 104.93K 6 downloads JeanBack.jpg 105.87K 8 downloads
The paint apps on the body are just great. Nice metallic blue runs up the front and back of the figure, and is nice and clean. There are orange washes over the yellow parts, which really looks great. Really the only trouble again appears with the head. The eyes and lips are okay. But the blue around the face isn't really filled in well at the edges. The hair color and wash is pretty good, but suffers due to that tiny face. I just hope they fix it. The hands are also a tad sloppy where the blue runs down the back of the hands. Jean is equipped with the same energy attachment as the Ms. Marvels, and also two shoulder armor attachments. These move independently of the shoulders, so they don't get in the way of the figures articulation. A half way decent figure, that suffers due to some major head trauma.
JeanClose.jpg 92.14K 4 downloads
Jean gets a 4/8
So all in all, Wave 6 sets us up for another fun year for the Marvel Universe! Hopefully this line gains further momentum and really takes off! I guess we should be seeing at least one more wave of Secret Wars figures, and a possible onslaught of variants before the year is out. Can't wait!