952 replies to this topic

[Scumdogg]

Marvel Universe is a 3.75" toyline produced by Hasbro. Once derided as "too small" and "too expensive", it now is in its fourth wave and seems to be enjoying a surprising success. Couldn't hurt that it's actually available in stores, unlike Mattel's DC Universe line. It's also far superior in quality to the similarly priced and sized DC Infinite Heroes.

So "better than nothing" has triumphed, and we now have several people on this board collecting the line. I thought maybe we could talk about it here, and maybe even do some line-specific trading and requests since some figures seem to be way easier to find depending on your location.

Post your collections, post your requests, and talk about how ridiculous the requirements are to get Nick Fury!

EDIT: Took a pic of my collection thus far.

 Marvel_Universe.JPG   382.7K   184 downloads

Edited by Scumdogg, 30 June 2009 - 08:00 PM.

[lhssenior]

Marvel Universe is a 3.75" toyline produced by Hasbro. Once derided as "too small" and "too expensive", it now is in its fourth wave and seems to be enjoying a surprising success. Couldn't hurt that it's actually available in stores, unlike Mattel's DC Universe line. It's also far superior in quality to the similarly priced and sized DC Infinite Heroes.

So "better than nothing" has triumphed, and we now have several people on this board collecting the line. I thought maybe we could talk about it here, and maybe even do some line-specific trading and requests since some figures seem to be way easier to find depending on your location.

Post your collections, post your requests, and talk about how ridiculous the requirements are to get Nick Fury!

It's great that the line is already in its fourth wave in as many months but the shelves everywhere are slammed with these and they don't seem to be moving at all. I hope they slow down releasing these and let some sell a bit before the line kills itself off with just a glut of figures and oversaturation as has happened to so many toylines previously.

The figures themselves are great and the quality and detail is amazing but at $8-9 per when comparable sized figures are running $5-6 and the shelves are just getting more and more crowded with these. I just hope demand picks up to match the supply at some point so we start getting into some new figures rather than multiple colors of the same sculpt already.
-Barry

[Scumdogg]

I don't really see a lot of comparably sized figures at $5. There's JLU, but those are Target exclusive now, and they basically all use the same body with very little articulation. DC Infinite Heroes is comparably sized but they're only cheap at Target. Everywhere else they're closer to $7 individually. Star Wars figures are $7.50 now, and GI Joe is what, $7? Those launched at $5 but that didn't last long at all.

Not saying it's not a high price, because it is, but so is just about everything else currently on shelves. As to the oversaturation of figures, around here that's basically only the Hand Ninja and Johnny Storm. Everything else seems to be moving quickly at all the stores i check. The early figures are completely gone in this area, with the exception of Spider-Man (who has shipping out a few different times) and Iron Man, who already has three versions. And as much as pegwarmers suck, they have proven necessary these days. Basically the reason so many stores don't bother carrying DC Universe is that they can't keep any on the pegs. When the pegs are empty 90% of the time, they're just going to use those pegs for more Bakugan and Transformers movie figures.

In fact all the early ones around here disappeared way TOO quickly for my tastes. By the time i even decided to get on board with the line Daredevil, Bullseye, and Silver Surfer were already impossible to get.

Incidentally, if anyone has an extra Daredevil or Bullseye, let me know.

[jkaris]

At $8 each, they are quite overpriced. I remember a few years back, you could get a full blown Marvel legend figure for $8.

Damn dollar has gone so far down in the last 4-5 years.

[Scumdogg]

At $8 each, they are quite overpriced. I remember a few years back, you could get a full blown Marvel legend figure for $8.

Damn dollar has gone so far down in the last 4-5 years.

That was like 2002 though. Don't worry, it seems recent to me too.

[Battlechaser7]

I am both a Marvel fan and a completeness I think this line is awesome, I avoided picking it up but caved in when I saw the line continue so prominently. you think 8.00 is bad I only have 2 places to pick em up wal-mart and Kmart and Kmart is both 10.00 a figure and the only place that restocks. Thanks for making a board for em scum, had you noticed the lack of a number 25 "Electro" which is hitting in the next wave or am I wrong?

Best,
Chris

[phillinley]

I'm not caving to this line. Especially with the announcement that new marvel legends are coming out next year. Now if only they'd release the nemesis wave.

[Scumdogg]

I am both a Marvel fan and a completeness I think this line is awesome, I avoided picking it up but caved in when I saw the line continue so prominently. you think 8.00 is bad I only have 2 places to pick em up wal-mart and Kmart and Kmart is both 10.00 a figure and the only place that restocks. Thanks for making a board for em scum, had you noticed the lack of a number 25 "Electro" which is hitting in the next wave or am I wrong?

Best,
Chris

I was under the impression that the skipped #25 would be the Nick Fury figure. But that was just my theory, i didn't know anything about the Electro thing.

[BaltanII]

I read an interview about the whole mess with the numbered figures. Nick Fury was never intended to be counted among the others, which was actually a nice and somewhat logical decision for Hasbro to make. Instead, some figure (never specified which) ended up being released a wave early, punting Electro down a wave instead.

My collection's remained quite static - just Deadpool, Sabretooth, Logan and bike. I've never run into the figures I also wanted (Bullseye) or at an opportune time to buy them (W3 Punisher). Just my trio of homicidal maniacs for now!

Admittedly, the price definitely hurts my interest in the X-Men Origins and Marvel Universe lines. The scale and detail are admirable, and the articulation is certainly getting to a happy medium. It's a bit funny that Japan has mastered what only some 25th Joe figures have accomplished, in terms of ultimate detail and articulation at the smaller scales, when the original inspiration came from Hasbro itself (the original GI Joe begat Henshin Cyborg which begat Microman, which begat Revoltech and Figma and Busou Shinki and Motion Revive and Souchaku Henshin and Romando...).

[Scumdogg]

I figured since i nearly doubled my collection of these things today that it was picture time! I added mine to the OP.

Boa, i definitely agree about the articulation hitting a happy medium. Mattel's smaller DC figures may as well be vintage Star Wars for as clunky and static as they are. But on the other hand, i thought ToyBiz got WAY out of control with the articulation on their Marvel Legends. It was cool at first, but when you're hitting 48 points on a slender 6" figure, you've got an absolutely compromised sculpt. Half the figures in that line looked like they were composed out of a hundred tiny puzzle pieces, rather than looking like one coherent piece.

I really think Hasbro is doing a great job at getting in essential motion without sacrificing style with this line. Of course as you said, if anyone can do it it should be them.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Hasbro's main problem is that they will Chock these out as fast as they can sell. Wave 4 was released a whole month ahead of time I believe so as to more than likely solidify the fan base. They will start to finally slow down I'm sure to every other month a wave or so.

And yes you guys are correct that Electro is #25. The price for these things are rough, but if they can manage to step the waves far enough apart I won't mind. They already have set a standard number of new figures per wave it seems as well. 5 New figures with like 2 running change variants.

Right now I'm only missing Gray Hulk, as he was like the first Wave 2 figure to sell out I guess. Hopefully I will be able to find one in wave 5 assortments. It took me a while, but I was able to scrounge up the entire first wave, I probably had to buy them at about 8 different stores. Mostly K-Marts had wave 1 in stock, and NO walmart had any Wave 1 figs left except Spiderman and Black Panther. In fact I have yet to see any K-mart stores in my area get any stock of any later waves in at all. Target was the best place for me to find wave 2 and 3 figures, as they keep their stock up pretty well, and most scalpers and collectors hit the sure thing Wal-mart stores first. Plus Target is cheaper! I'm having fun with this series right now for sure, but one thing that I wish would have been included, especially at the price range, would have been some display stands for each figure. It would have really hit over well with Gi-Joe collectors I think. Plus they are kind of hard to stand sometimes, mostly when posed.

As for the Nick Fury...I was so upset when they announced how you had to get it..what ever happened to the old school way of sending in a envelope full of UPC codes and $4.99 for shipping? I absolutely refuse to accept the ridiculous method that Hasbro and Marvel chose, and I hope not many others do as well, cause I want Hasbro to buckle and make these things publicly available. In fact Hasbro released Fury as a Toys'R'Us exclusive in Singapore at the regular price according to reports...and the Singapore guys who keep selling them on eBay at Super high prices. So either way we are screwed into paying $30 dollars or more for 1 figure, as I'm not paying for comics I can't keep. I have the Library for that, and they have a very adequate bound volume section for graphic novels.

Also I hear there will be a short window of opportunity to obtain the SDCC exclusives at a reasonable price on Hasbrotoyshop.com before or after the Comic Con I think...and hope. Cause I'm not paying those stupid eBay prices on those either. The only one that I really really would want is the Namor anyways, as the Torch, Caps, and Redskull are all retools or repaints of other figures.

But I do like the repaints the line has offered so far. I'm very fond of my Spiderman repaint with the darker reds and blues, and the White gloved Torch is cool as well.

I have very few complaints, and most of those are with the larger figures like the Hulks and Thing. They really need to improve the leg articulation on them. Other than that, there is very little issue. Most have very tight joints, great accessories and awesome paint jobs. Some Scale issues with some characters should be worked out for sure, and Hasbro shouldn't be so stingy, and bring in some new body types. When you think about it your buying a bunch of the same figure with different head sculpts.

[Scumdogg]

Also I hear there will be a short window of opportunity to obtain the SDCC exclusives at a reasonable price on Hasbrotoyshop.com before or after the Comic Con I think...and hope. Cause I'm not paying those stupid eBay prices on those either. The only one that I really really would want is the Namor anyways, as the Torch, Caps, and Redskull are all retools or repaints of other figures.

Isn't Namor just a repaint of the Namor figure coming out in wave 5 though?

I was talking over collecting this line with the wife last night, and came to some conclusions that really help me feel better about the sticker shock on these things. I spent $36 last night and i got everything out of wave 4 i wanted. When wave 5 comes out it'll cost me like $16-24.

This is compared to being saddled with 6-8 figures a wave for Legends or DCUC, having to buy every single one of them because i want the BAF, and knowing each wave is going to set me back $100 or more. The lack of a build-a-figure scam in this line really, REALLY makes me happy. I like that they're going with an alternate method of getting big characters into the line. With DCUC, i ended up dropping a combined SIXTY dollars on Amazo and Black Lightning, two characters i don't even CARE about, just because i wanted the Metallo pieces. Man it's good to be free of that.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Also I hear there will be a short window of opportunity to obtain the SDCC exclusives at a reasonable price on Hasbrotoyshop.com before or after the Comic Con I think...and hope. Cause I'm not paying those stupid eBay prices on those either. The only one that I really really would want is the Namor anyways, as the Torch, Caps, and Redskull are all retools or repaints of other figures.

Isn't Namor just a repaint of the Namor figure coming out in wave 5 though?

No! Completely 2 different figures! The Invader pack Namor will feature him in his golden/silver age Green Briefs, and the Wave 5 version will be his later 70's/80's Black Costume.

http://i.marvelousne...d...600&start=0

http://i.marvelousne...d...800&start=0

[Scumdogg]

So i bought the Stealth Ops Iron Man today while grocery shopping.

Yep, this line officially has its sinister hooks into me.

Just need the "modern" red and gold Iron Man for now and i'll consider myself caught up for the most part. Spider-Man, Captain America and such can wait until the 2-pack versions come out later this summer.

Still do need Bullseye and Daredevil too i guess, but i assume it would take some miracle working to get either of them for a reasonable price at this point.

[Ghost Lion]

On yoose guys' advice I picked up black Panther and yeah...pretty damn neat. I'll get the Hulks for sure. Probably a Cap as well.

[Scumdogg]

On yoose guys' advice I picked up black Panther and yeah...pretty damn neat. I'll get the Hulks for sure. Probably a Cap as well.

Black Panther is still cool, despite being one of the line's worst figures. He, Punisher, and Blade all use an already outdated original concept body, minus the ab crunch joint that all the other figures have. I believe their intent is to phase that out, and i'd imagine we'll eventually see new versions of the figures that used it. But yeah, even the weak figures are still pretty good.

The Captain America figure is *great*, i'm having a hard time holding off until the 2-pack version..everytime i see it i want to buy it.

[dankingery]

i nearly bought cap tonight. he looks really cool. if i wasn't limiting my expenditures on this line to those that i can't live without he would be in my hands now fighting to click back to porn instead of some toy forum.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

You guys won't be disappointed in Cap at all! My only advice make sure his mask paint is clean. I could only find one, and his paint was a tad sloppy. His shield is just awesome! And he is very well articulated. His abs aren't the best as far as mobility, but he is one of the best figs and representations of a character thus far. Even though he is just Ultimate Cap. I'll be getting as many Cap variants and versions they release from this line for sure.....though that is a bit moot.

[mrjayberry]

Curses, I'm on board. For comparison I got the Hand Ninja, X-Men Orgins Weapon X (hopefully we'll get Alpha Flight in this scale eventually), and a DC Infinite Heros Green Arrow, very nice. Marvel Universe is bigger I see.

I also was evidently lucky in finding a Silver Surfer at K-Mart so I got him. It was really the figure that put me over the top. Didn't see a Moon Knight though.
Are we getting an Iron Fist any time soon?

Edit:
A: How about a few months back, Doh!

Edited by mrjayberry, 02 July 2009 - 07:54 AM.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Well, the first Iron Fist has no fist. But there will be a running variant or whatever coming within the next few waves that will have a different color scheme and an actual fist this time.

[Scumdogg]

Yeah, i'm waiting on that new version of Iron Fist myself. Hopefully we can get an era-appropriate Luke Cage to go with him.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Give me an Adam Warlock, Rom Space Knight, Rocket Racoon, and Captain Marvel and I'd be happy.

[Scumdogg]

That's all crazy talk. You're crazy. Stop being crazy.

I'm just happy that by the end of the summer or so there will be SIX Iron Man figures in this line.

(seriously that's not sarcastic, i have an entire shelf that's nothing but Iron Man figures)

[Ghost Lion]

ROM would be awesome. The Micronaut Gang would be cool too.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Yeah, but that's what sucks. marvel doesn't own alot of great characters like the Micronauts and Shogun Warriors....But they do own the Celestials.