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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Wolverine "Blood Debt" Continued & More...

Continued from my last post on the Wolverine #150 Giant-Sized Special, the "Blood Debt" story further unfurls, Logan tangled in the ongoing Kaishek clan power struggle between Kia and brother Haan! I couldn't find issue #151 in the dollar comics bin, but I did find #152 & #153 from July and August of 2000, respectively. There are a lot more scenes of Wolverine taking on piles of baddies, as illustrated below, after Kia betrays Gomm, and seeks to do the same to Haan. Logan reluctantly follows as bodyguard for the ambitious sister, looking for a window of opportunity to free the captive Amiko and Yukio.

Logan returns to find Kenuichio and Amiko, discovering Yukio has left for outer Mongolia to confront Kia, Pleas of young Amiko and battered Kenuichio are unequivocally shut down by the bloodied hero, determined to collect his debt in blood alone...

...and collect it he does. Wolverine # 153 concludes the "Blood Debt" story with Kenuichio and Amiko defying Logan, following him to a downright brutal takedown of Kia. The team barely survives the conflict, barely escaping the Kaishek tower as it explodes, a spark setting off a broken gas pipe by the clashing of Kia's sword and Logan's adamantium claws! Exhilarating! While I'm no literary critic, I really enjoyed this dark, but engaging return on the earlier Wolverine Vol. 1 characters, and continuance of the clan mythos. Classic Wolverine evolving into darker, modern Wolverine!

Dropping right when 20th Century Fox brought X-Men to the silver screen, these issues are packed with advertisement for the movie, merchandising for ToyBiz action figures, and solicitation for the new Ultimate X-Men book that would be released in February of 2001. Things like this are a big part of why I love the dollar comics bin, like small time capsules from exciting times past!

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ToyBiz 10" Deluxe Cable (1994)

I featured this Cable on the Super-DuperToyBox in a Hey Mr. Postman installment from 2012, but didn't post enough adequately lit photos of the toy. Upon putting him up for auction on my eBay store, I realized my error in failing to properly document this fine example of '90s comics/action figure excess. He did make an appearance in my post on the ToyBiz 10" Polaris action figure, but I saw him with new eyes after unearthing him while reorganizing after a recent change in residence.

These deluxe format ToyBiz figures were an inexpensive way to wow consumers, large and colorful at an attractive price point, much like the Titan Hero format figures produced by Hasbro today. Cable has limited articulation- none in the head/neck- and despite his knee joints, he can barely stand any other way than straight up, knees locked. His proportions are severely exaggerated, much like the zeitgeist of the times and the comics written from this period. I'm excited to hear of Cable's forthcoming appearance in the Marvel cinematic universe! See my December 2016 post on the Funko POP! Cable and Marvel Mystery Mini Cable!

Below, my Toybiz 10" Beast with Cable, one of my favorite toys...

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More Toy Shopping: Resale Scene August 2016

Some more sights I took in during August checking the local action figure retail scene, this batch mostly from local resale shops V-Stock & Slackers! Pictured above and below, 6" DC SuperHeroes. predecessors to the hugely successful DC Universe Classics line which I collected several of during their run. These were some of the first....

Below, the DC Direct JLA Series Wonder Woman, a classic rendering of the heroine. I'm looking forward to the forthcoming film, and am enjoying the character's introduction into the DC cinematic universe, portrayed by actress Gal Gadot. Check out my post on the DC Direct All Star Comics Series Wonder Woman!  

Now I collected more the 10" scale of '90s Toybiz figures two or three years ago, but I admire these smaller figures of this era for the same charming simplicity. If there was a sale I may have picked these up...

Pictured below, the new Gentle Giant Secret Wars Spider-Man, enlarged reissues of the popular '80s action figures I loved as a kid. Still have my Dr. Doom! I hate that these are going for such outrageous prices- I'd own some if they were priced more reasonably.

Below. some of the processors of the 3.75" Marvel Universe figures, which have been rebranded at least a couple times since I stopped collecting them, first as the Infinite Series, and now just under the Legends Series banner like the 6" and recent 12" figures. Though not listed on the Marvel Universe Checklist on ItsAllTrue.Net, these obviously predate the inaugural 2009 lineup of the highly articulated figures...

I'm unsure when the die cast figures pictured below were produced, but they sure have that '90s ToyBiz charm! I was particularly fond of the Human Torch/Dragon Man 2-pack! Like a lot of the Marvel ToyBiz figure lines, these have their own team franchise marquee, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men, etc....

And finally, a new Power Rangers line I discovered running through TRU afterward- a little off this post's theme, but I thought they looked cool! Though I was not into the Power Rangers during their '90s heyday, I've collected a few Sentai/Power Ranger figures in the last year or so, interested mostly in their uniform aesthetic. I've bought a few domestic Bandai, as well as several of the more detailed imports...

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