Toybiz 10in. Wolverine Figures (X-Men 1996, Marvel Universe 1997)

 I've had this 10" Toybiz X-Men Series Wolverine in my collection for many years now, only recently picking up the Marvel Universe Series "reverse" variant for a great price on eBay. I'm drawn to these big, dumb action figures of the '90s for their simple sculpts, bright colors, and exaggerated proportions. They are absurd figures, but scream fun!

Like may of the 10" Toybiz figures of this era, Wolverine came with a standard issue sidearm, apropos of nothing to do with this character. Tiger Stripe Wolverine doesn't hold his particularly well, the clip portion of his Uzi-like gun seemingly missing. I will be displaying Reverse Wolverine with his weapon!

The sculpt on these Wolverines is identical, but I love 

having the reverse color variant- what a pair they make!

Below, Tiger Stripe Wolverine with my 10" ToyBiz Beast, Gambit, Bishop, and Forge...

Below. Reverse Wolverine with my 10" ToyBiz Ninja Wolverine...

And finally. the 10" ToyBiz Wolverines with my 9" Hasbro Wolverine, 2" Heroes and Villains Wolverine, 6" Marvel Legends 1st Appearance Wolverine, 3.75" Marvel Universe Wolverine, 

6" Marvel Legends Tiger Stripe Wolverine, and 10.5" Marvel Legends Tiger Stripe Wolverine...

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Toybiz 10in. Bishop, Forge & Cyclops

These 10" ToyBiz figures have appeared on this blog several times, all the way from the outset 10 years ago. I've sold several in my collect, but had hung onto a few, including Bishop, Forge, and Cyclops. ToyBiz must have made millions of these oversized toys in the '90s; they seem plentiful to this day. Some are more desirable, fetching more than others, though I've noticed asking prices for most increasing the last 10 years. They are expensive to ship boxed! The oversized boxes were branded to specific character properties of the time, X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron, Man, Fantastic Four; other characters were often branded Marvel Universe, in a box with a more narrow back and blank yellow interior. The X-Men box Bishop came in is fantastic, and great for display, but I've hung onto these so long, I thought it was time to bust them open!

Each of these surprised me in one aspect or another; Bishop has a waist swivel where I though he was fixed. Due to his hair sculpt, the neck is fixed- they may have been making up for this with the waist. Some of the 10" ToyBiz figures have ankle articulation as well, but these all have solid ankles. The color on this figure is eye-poppingly vivid, reminiscent of it's time. I went back in the past ten years  and caught up with this X-Man of the future in Uncanny X-Men #282, Age of Apocalypse, and later, very powerful Messiah Complex. Great character! Bishop was packed with the obligatory, giant '90s rifle, and looks a lot like his appearance in the X-Men animated show of that era. 

I became more aware of Forge around the same time I did Bishop, reading stray issues of Uncanny X-Men twenty years after their release, getting back into comics as an adult; they were fun, and I enjoyed Whilce Portacio's art. Forge was created seven years earlier than Bishop however, by John Romita Jr. and Chris Claremont in 1984. Forge is a strait-up repaint of the 10" ToyBiz Spider-Man Series Punisher, but surprised me with his real cloth headband, a feature I was unaware of until opening him all these years later. His boot knife is not removable, but adds some visual interest.

Below, ToyBiz Bishop and Forge with their recent Hasbro Marvel Legends Series counterparts...

My 10" ToyBiz Polaris came with the same gun Bishop did, cast in translucent green ...!

What surprised me about this 10" ToyBiz Cyclops was his translucent blue plastic, undetected by me until only recently. This unexpected surprise made him even more fun to me. Honestly, I've sold every Cyclops figure I've had, but this one kind of makes up for it. Like Bishop, there were variants of this figure, including a metallic finish version, but I am thrilled with this odd, translucent Cyclops.

Below, Cyclops with future son, Nathan Summers, A.K.A. Cable, and fellow X-Man, Gambit ...

These are just big, dumb toys, some of them downright ugly, but some have a retro charm about them I really enjoy. Bishop, Forge and Cyclops fall into the latter category, but together are another level of fun together. But isn't that true about most action figures? Did you play with these 10" ToyBiz figures as a child, or do you have any in your adult collection?

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3.75" Marvel Universe Sale!

I've begun listing my carded Marvel Universe collection for auction at the Super-DuperToyBox eBay store! If you live in the Continental U.S., now is your chance to make a bid on some very cool figures from my personal collection, many just sitting in storage for the last six or seven years. I've started with a dozen listings, including single figures, paired figures, and a few boxed sets, like the X-Force 3-pk pictured below. I loved this great line of 3.75" figures, but have been reducing the size of my collection for the last six months, clearing some space to better enjoy things I'm interested in now. Keep an eye on my Instagram as I post images of items for sale in the future!

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Rewind: Marvel Universe Silver Samurai & Wolverine

After reading about Silver Samurai in the Wolverine #150 Giant-Sized Special from May of 2000, I was reminded of the Marvel Universe Greatest Battles Comic Pack I sold on my eBay store, which included the only Kenuichio action figure I've ever owned. And if you only had one, this was a good one to have- his detailed sculpt, flashy metallic presentation, and extra size among Hasbro's 3.75" line made him a standout! While I've successfully sold off most of my loose figures in this scale, I'll eventually put my carded samples up for auction- keep an eye on that if you live in the continental U.S. For now I've listed all my 2.25" DC Action League collection, as well as my 4" JLU figures.

The Wolverine included with Silver Samurai in that Greatest Battles pack wasn't that spectacular, but the Astonishing Wolverine I sold with his Marvel Universe Wave 16 counterparts was! I don't know if he's the best Wolverine in my collection, as the are so varied in make and scale, but I kinda hated to see him go   :D  Be sure to follow the Super-DuperToyBox on Instagram to see more of the toys in my collection revisited as I put them up of sale!

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Super-DuperToyBox eBay Clearance Sale!

Upon moving recently, I came to the conclusion that thinning the collection a little would make sense, so I began selling off some items that have been in my collection for some years. I plan to really dig in and unload some Marvel Legends, Marvel Select, Marvel Universe, DC Universe Classics, DC Action League, and DC Collectibles as time permits. For now, step on over to the Super-DuperToyBox eBay store to see what I've been working on recently- I'll likely post updates here on the blog from time to time as I upload new items for sale from my own personal collection. Sorry, Continental U.S. sales only. I don't plan on quitting the blog anytime soon, and just recently bought a bunch of cool new toys- I just wanted to downsize what I have, and make room for some new things that interest me. More to come!

6" Amazing Spider-Man Movie Series Peter Parker Spidey & Ultimate Comics Spidey (2011): 

6" Iron Man Concept Series Figures (2008):

3.75" Armored Avenger Series  Inferno Armor & Sonic Storm Iron Man (2010):

Marvel Universe 3.75" Greatest Battles Deadpool and Taskmaster 2-pack (2010):

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Marvel NOW: Moon Knight

I"m not sure when I heard Marvel would be launching Moon Knight under it's NOW! imprint, but was delighted to see it appear recently. My knowledge of the character's past continuity is very limited, but curiosity about him linked to early childhood memories, having first seen him in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #22. While I reminisced the 1978 issue in a post here last summer, I have not kept up on the nocturnal vigilante, who is often criticized as the poor man's Batman, the comparisons obvious. With little exposure to this somewhat second-tier hero, comparison to his handling in the past is a futile pursuit here. I will say this continuation of Marc Spector's journey as the Moon Knight has a spooky feel, haunted by the spirit of Khonshu and his resulting dissociative identity issues. Unfamiliar with the events surrounding his disappearance prior to this reintroduction, I am truly experiencing the character wax anew.

Moon Knight's first appearance was in Werewolf by Night #32, 1975 (included in the second edition of the said Marvel Essential TPB I've been reading), and the character hopped from book to book before getting his own title that spans five volumes, scattered between 1980 and 2011. Awhile back I'd found the first Moon Knight Special Edition from November 1983, and eerily found the second, December issue while picking up the first Marvel NOW! issue. Cool. The second Special Edition is pretty juvenile, but the first kinda has things going for it... like a story. These were reprints of  Moon Knight's appearances in The Hulk!, whose star bumbles stupidly through the beginning of the second issue- this kills the mood, then we get a serial killer, axe murderer in a clown mask. I prefer the cover on the first as well, which like the second folds around onto the verso, revealing his nemesis. Very dynamic! The art inside had some solid, traditional comics illustration by the celebrated Bill Sienkiewicz. 

The NOW! relaunch is dark but smartly dry ghost story, haunted by a skeletal avian apparition, post-Donnie Darko. The shadowy art is creatively arranged and cinematic in feel. Showing up in the first issue to confront the villain in a white suit continued the theatrical characterization Moon Knight evokes. I will keep reading to see how things progress from this interesting reappearance. What is your favorite run/volume of Moon Knight? 

Above: 4" Marvel Universe Moon Knight I scored in 2011.

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Recent Acquisitions: Marvel Universe

In spite of my complaining about the scarcity of Hasbro Marvel Universe figures available in the area, I've managed to stumble across some that have interested me in the last few months, including these newest acquisitions...

Marvel Universe Future Foundation Spider-Man & Fantastic Four Box Set
I already had the regular Marvel Universe Fantastic Four box set, but finally caved and got the Future Foundation edition after finding the FF Spider-Man. Hasbro also released an alternate FF Spidey and FF Dr. Doom in a Greatest Battles 2-pk, but these appeal to myself a little more, completing the core Future Foundation Fantastic Four.

Marvel Universe Black Knight
I stumbled onto this new MU figure after work last Friday night at a local TRU, the figure I've been anticipating most in Hasbro's latest wave! His sword is bent, but he's a great looking 3 3/4" rendition of this character. I love him!

Marvel Universe Professor X and Nightcrawler

I found this repaint of Nightcrawler the same night I found the Black Knight above, decorated in his X-Force colors, a supposedly hard to find action figure. I was really excited about this release as I've been reading about Nightcrawler's return in the new Amazing X-Men title.  I prefer Kurt in his tradition red & black, but this one will look cool with my X-Force box set.  Even more incredible was finding the Professor X at Target a week prior- I don't have the entire team in 1/18 scale, but with their leader now in my possession, I'm in good shape!

Hopefully I'll get a chance to open some of these up one day- I have a large tote packed with carded Marvel Universe, and several more scattered throughout my apartment! As you may have noticed, my posting has declined quite a bit in the last year, due mainly to the upswing in my career. While I've no immediate plans to leave all this behind, longer hours in a higher position, plus all my other hobbies often leave me with less time than when I started the Super-DuperToyBox.

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