Marvel Legends

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This article is about the action figure line of Marvel characters. For the video game formerly titled "Marvel Legends", see Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. For the comic book see Marvel Legends (comics)
Marvel Legends
Image:Marvel_legends_logo.gif

6" Action Figure Toy Line
Toy Biz : 2002 - 2006
Hasbro: 2007 -

Marvel Legends is an action figure line based on the characters of Marvel Comics, initially produced by Toy Biz then by Hasbro. This line is in the 6 inch scale and is known for having multiple points of articulation.

Contents

[edit] History

The Marvel Legends line is a spin-off of the Spider-Man Classics line also produced by Toy Biz. At its inception in 2002, the Marvel Legends line took over the clamshell packaging and included comic book that had shipped with the Spider-Man Classics line until its demise. The first Marvel Legends series included representations of the Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man and the Toad. Marvel recently announced that beginning January 1st, 2007 Hasbro will be the new license holder of the rights to produce toys and games based upon the Marvel Universe while Toy Biz will be renamed Marvel Toys. In addition to a Marvel Universe Mr. Potato Head toy line, Hasbro has released photos of the new Marvel Legends toy line for 2007.

[edit] Chase Figures

From the beginning, the Marvel Legends line has used the "chase" concept to introduce less popular figures, or variations of current figures. Chase figures are figures which are more rare in an assortment, thus causing collectors to chase after them. Eventually, the chase concept was limited to variations (such as an alternate head or a different color scheme) of a figure released in the same series. These chase figures would be released within the set, yet would not have as many figures on the shelf as any of the other figures. These figures became high in demand by collectors due to their rare nature, and became the most actively sought after and valuable toys in each of the series.

[edit] Build-A-Figure

In 2005, Toy Biz introduced the "Build-A-Figure" (referred to as a "BAF" in the collector community) to the Marvel Legends line. Each individual figure in the series was packaged with a piece of a larger figure, in this case Galactus. If one were to buy each figure in the assortment, he or she would then be able to assemble a unique character, unavailable in individual packaging. Standing 16" tall, the Galactus BAF also retained much of the articulation that the Marvel Legends were famous for.

Attracting even more "full series" collectors to the line, the idea turned out to be a very successful marketing decision for Toy Biz. The concept was then employed in the 10th series, where each figure was packaged with a piece of a mutant-hunting robot known as a Sentinel. Additional BAFs now include Apocalypse, Onslaught, Giant Man, Mojo, MODOK, Annihilus, and the forthcoming Blob and Brood Queen for series 3.

With the release of the Giant Man BAF, Toy Biz packaged smaller parts with each character, requiring a full 10 regular figures to be purchased to create the BAF (as opposed to 6 or 7). The first 9 pieces were packaged with the regular figures while the 10th piece was included with the Weapon X variant. This marked the 1st time in any series that a variant figure included a different BAF piece than the normal version, forcing anyone who wishes to complete the Giant Man BAF to purchase both versions of the figure (The Sentry variant includes the same piece as his normal figure).

Starting with Onslaught and continuing with Mojo and MODOK BAF's, Toy Biz returns to the six-piece formula. However, the BAF characters are significantly smaller than their predecessors - both to keep them in an appropriate scale and to reduce costs in the face of rising oil prices. Hasbro continued the six-piece formula with the Annihilus BAF in their first wave, but will move to an eight-piece formula with the BAF Blob figure in their second wave.

[edit] Toy Biz

Series One

Series Two

  • Dr. Doom (with Fantastic Four vol. 1 #247)
  • Doombot (Chase)
  • Hulk (White Shirt)
  • Human Torch (w/o 4 on chest, with Fantastic Four vol. 1 #233)
  • Human Torch (with 4 On Chest)
  • Namor (with Savage Sub-Mariner #67)
  • Thing (with Fantastic Four vol. 1 #263)
  • Thing (Trenchcoat, Wal*Mart exclusive)

Neither version of the Human Torch is a variant. Human Torch was originally distributed with the 4 on his chest, but some collectors asked for the 4 to be removed, since it would be more comic accurate. So as a running change, later shipments had the 4 removed. At the beginning, the figure with the 4 was plentiful, but as time went on, it became more common to see him without it, and eventually it became rare to see him with the 4.

Series Three

  • Daredevil, based on the Ben Affleck film portrayal, (Red window in wall mount) (with Daredevil vol. 1 #164)
  • Daredevil (Blue window in wall mount)
  • Daredevil (w/ beard)
  • Ghost Rider (with Ghost Rider vol. 2 #2)
  • Magneto (with X-Men #2)
  • Thor (with Thor vol. 2 #39)
  • Wolverine (with Uncanny X-Men #133)
  • Wolverine (Unmasked, Chase)

Series Four

Neither of the Punishers are variants, but the grey belted edition was more widely produced and generally comes packaged with a foil print instead of a comic. In general, collectors find the black belted edition more desirable.

Series Five

Series Six

  • Cable (with Cable #73)
  • Cable (Brown Costume, Chase)
  • Deadpool (w/ Doop pack-in) (with Deadpool #3)
  • Juggernaut (with Uncanny X-Men #13)
  • Phoenix (Green costume) (with Uncanny X-Men #101)
  • Dark Phoenix (Red costume - Chase)
  • Punisher (Movie)
  • Wolverine (Brown Costume) (with Uncanny X-Men #213)
  • Wolverine Unmasked (Chase, Series III re-release with Legends VI packaging)

Series Seven

  • Apocalypse (with X-Factor #25)
  • Ghost Rider (Classic)
  • Ghost Rider (Phasing, Chase)
  • Hawkeye w/ regular bow(comics) (with Avengers vol. 1 #223)
  • Hawkeye w/ knuckle guard bow
  • Iron Man (Silver Centurion)
  • Wolverine (Weapon X, with poster book)
  • Wolverine (Weapon X, with urban legnds comic)
  • Vision (with Avengers vol. 1 #135)
  • Vision (Phasing, Chase)
  • Goliath (with Antman and Wasp, Chase, Series IV re-release with Legends VII packaging)

Series Eight

NOTE: The early shipments of ML8 had a paint error on the Captain America figures. The Ultimate Captain America was supposed to have grey paint on his pants, while the Classic Captain America was not. When the toys were first released, these paint apps were reversed. A running change later corrected the error.

Series Nine (Galactus Series)

  • Bullseye (with Galactus' left leg and Daredevil vol. 1 #132)
  • Bullseye (Gritting Teeth, grey costume, Chase)
  • Hulk (First Appearance, grey, closed mouth) (with Galactus' left arm and Incredible Hulk vol. 1, #1)
  • Hulk (First Appearance, Green, teeth bared, Chase)
  • Deathlok (with Galactus' upper torso and Deathlok vol. 1 #3)
  • Doctor Strange (with Galactus' right arm and four selections from Strange Tales)
  • Nightcrawler (with Galactus' lower torso and poster book)
  • Professor X (with Galactus' head and Uncanny X-Men #117)
  • War Machine (with Galactus' right leg and Iron Man vol. 1 #281)
  • Galactus (Build-a-Figure)

Series Ten (Sentinel Series)

  • Angel (with Sentinel's left leg and Uncanny X-Men #5)
  • Angel (Light Blue Costume, Chase)
  • Black Panther (with Sentinel's right arm and Avengers vol. 1 #87)
  • Black Panther (alternate necklace/belt, later release)
  • Cyclops (with Sentinel's left arm and Uncanny X-Men #201)
  • Cyclops (X-Factor Costume, Chase)
  • Mr. Sinister (Blue neck - initial release) (with Sentinel's right leg and Uncanny X-Men #243)
  • Mr. Sinister (White neck - later release)
  • Mystique (with Sentinel's torso and poster book)
  • Omega Red (also with Sentinel's torso, and X-Men #7)
  • Spider-Man (First Appearance) (with Sentinel's head/upper torso and Amazing Fantasy vol. 1 #15)
  • Sentinel (Build-a-Figure)

Series Eleven (Legendary Riders)

  • Iron Man (Hulkbuster) (with Iron Man vol. 1 #305)
  • Scarlet Witch (w/ long hip design)(with Avengers vol. 1 #187)
  • Scarlet Witch (w/ short hip design)
  • Taskmaster (with Avengers vol. 1 #196)
  • Thing (First Appearance) (with Fantastic Four vol. 1 #1)
  • Ultron (with Avengers vol. 3 #22)
  • Vengeance (with Ghost Rider vol. 2 #39)
  • Wolverine ("Days of Future Past" Logan, black t-shirt/green pants) (with Uncanny X-Men #141)
  • Wolverine (Logan, younger/white t-shirt/blue pants, cowboy hat, Chase)
  • Wonder Man with Yellowjacket sidekick (with Avengers vol. 3 #51)
  • Wonder Man (translucent purple "Ionic" version, Chase)

NOTE: There was some confusion over the rarity of The Scarlet Witch. Prior to the series being released, Toybiz had announced that they were unhappy with the final product, and as a result, had pulled the figure from the line, despite the inclusion of the character on the packaging. However, as the wave began to appear at retail, many findings of the figure were reported, with the actual product varying considerably from the prototype presented on the packaging.

Series Twelve (Apocalypse Series)

  • Bishop (with Apocalypse's lower torso and Bishop #2)
  • Bishop (alternate bald head, Chase)
  • Iron Fist (original green costume) (with Apocalypse's right leg and Iron Fist #8)
  • Iron Fist (red costume, Chase)
  • Hulk ("Maestro") (with Apocalypse's left arm and Captain Marvel vol. 3 #30)
  • X-23 (black costume, straight hair) (with Apocalypse's head/upper torso and Uncanny X-Men #451)
  • X-23 (purple costume, wavy hair)
  • Sasquatch (with Apocalypse's right arm and Alpha Flight vol. 1 #10)
  • Sasquatch (all-white version resemblance to Wendigo, Chase)
  • Wolverine (Astonishing X-men) (with Apocalypse's left leg and Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #6 comic)
  • Wolverine (Astonishing X-men, Unmasked, Chase)
  • Apocalypse (Build-a-Figure)
  • Apocalypse (Black variant Build-a-Figure)

NOTE: there is some confusion over which version of X-23 is the variant, and which is normal. Though the back of the packaging shows the black-suited version as the standard figure, many cases had the purple costume packed in heavier numbers. It seems that which version was rare depended on where one shopped. For example, in the United States and Australia, the Purple-suited X-23 was the standard figure and the Black-suited X-23 figure was the variant. In Canada and the UK, it was the exact opposite. However, there were many reports that the case assortments were evenly packed for all the variants.

Series Thirteen (Onslaught Series)

  • Abomination (with Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #25 and left arm of Onslaught)
  • Abomination (melted face, Chase)
  • Blackheart (includes Wolverine/Ghost Rider/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness and left leg of Onslaught)
  • Green Goblin (with Amazing Spider-Man #122 and right leg of Onslaught)
  • Green Goblin (Unmasked, Chase)
  • Lady Deathstrike (includes Wolverine #77 and upper torso of Onslaught)
  • Loki (includes Journey Into Mystery #116 and right arm of Onslaught)
  • Loki (alternate Crown of Lies head, Chase)
  • Pyro (includes Daredevil vol. 1 #355 and lower torso of Onslaught)
  • Onslaught (Build-a-Figure)

Series Fourteen (Mojo Series)

  • Baron Zemo (With Avengers vol. 1 #6 and Mojo's head and upper torso)
  • Baron Zemo (Unmasked, Chase)
  • Falcon (With Falcon #1 and Mojo's stomach/lower torso)
  • Falcon (Modern costume, Chase)
  • Iron Man (First Appearance) (With Tales Of Suspense #39 & 40 and Mojo's back tentacles)
  • Iron Man (First Appearance, gold variant, Chase)
  • Longshot (With X-Men vol. 2 #10 and Mojo's lower, right side mechanical legs)
  • Power Man (With Luke Cage #1 and Mojo's lower, left side mechanical legs)
  • Power Man (Black and Silver variant, unreleased)
  • Psylocke (With Uncanny X-Men #258 (cover art from #467) and Mojo's back/lower torso)
  • Psylocke (X-Treme X-Men variant, unreleased)
  • Mojo (Build-a-Figure)

Series Fifteen (M.O.D.O.K. Series)

[edit] Hasbro

[edit] Wave 1 (Annihilus Series)

  • Banshee (with right wing of Annihilus)
  • Emma Frost (Astonishing X-Men costume) (with right arm and leg of Annihilus)
  • Hercules (with left wing of Annihilus)
  • X-Men: The Last Stand Beast (with left arm and leg of Annihilus)
  • "Planet Hulk" (running paint change w/green left arm) with gladiator armor (with head of Annihilus)
  • "Planet Hulk" (w/ silver left arm) with gladiator armor (with head of Annihilus)
  • Ultimate Iron Man (with chest and torso of Annihilus)

NOTE: the pack-in comic book accessory is discontinued with the Hasbro series. Ultimate Iron Man also featured an 'unmasked' packaging which appeared in equal ratio with the 'masked' packaging. There was a colour change to Annihilus - earlier shipments had a very pink coloured figure, later shipments were changed to a more comic accurate purple colour.

[edit] Wave 2 (Blob Series)

  • Quicksilver (with Blob's left arm)
  • Quicksilver (Green 1st Appearance Variant)
  • She-Hulk (with Blob's upper torso)
  • Lord of Asgard Thor (with Blob's head)
  • Ultimate Wolverine (with Blob's lower torso)
  • X-Men: The Last Stand Jean Grey (with Blob's right arm)
  • X-Men: The Last Stand Jean Grey (Dark Phoenix variant)
  • X-Men: The Last Stand Juggernaut (with Blob's hands)
  • Xorn (with Blob's left leg)
  • Yellowjacket (with Blob's right leg)
  • Yellowjacket (Gold Variant)
  • Blob (Build-a-figure)

[edit] Wave 3 (Queen Brood Series)

[edit] MARVEL LEGENDS Future Waves

The Marvel Legends series is rumored to soon have a Fantastic Four themed wave that will have a Ronan the Accuser Build A Figure.

This wave will include the following:

  • Human Torch
  • Invisible Woman
  • Mole Man
  • Crystal
  • Mr. Fantastic
  • Silver Surfer
  • The Submariner
  • The Thing
  • Victor Von Doom

There is also a rumors that their will be a Spiderman wave that will contain a as of yet unknown Build-a-Figure.

This wave will include:

  • Spider-Man
  • Spider-Man III
  • Dr. Octopus
  • "New" Goblin
  • Hobgoblin
  • Mary Jane Watson
  • Sandman
  • Venom

Source-http://www.cooltoyreview.com

[edit] Exclusives

[edit] Wal*Mart Exclusive 2005 - Fantastic Four Box Set

[edit] Wal*Mart Exclusive 2006 - Giant Man Series

Wal-Mart Exclusive Giant Man Series
Wal-Mart Exclusive Giant Man Series
  • Age of Apocalypse Weapon X (Wolverine) (with Weapon X #1 and Giant Man's right foot)
  • Age of Apocalypse Weapon X (Scarred face Variant) (with Giant Man's left hand)
  • Age of Apocalypse Sabretooth (with Astonishing X-Men #3 and Giant Man's left foot)
  • Ant Man (with Marvel Premiere #47 and Giant Man's right arm)
  • Captain Britain (with Excalibur #1 and Giant Man's right leg)
  • Kitty Pryde (with Astonishing X-Men #4 and Giant Man's upper torso & head)
  • Havok (with Uncanny X-Men #97 and Giant Man's left leg)
  • Sentry (with New Avengers #3 and Giant Man's left arm)
  • Sentry (bearded and long haired Variant)
  • Warbird (with Avengers Annual 10 and Giant Man's lower torso)
  • Thor (with Thor vol. 1 #351 and Giant Man's right hand)
  • Giant-Man (Build-a-Figure)

NOTE: A running change resulted in a repaint of both Sentry and the Sentry variant being released which replaces the original gold/tan paint from the original shipment with a corrected, lighter yellow. This series was available in the UK (and possibly other territories) in stores like Woolworths. It was also availabe in Canada at ToysRus.

[edit] Toys R Us Exclusive - Hasbro 2007

  • Diamond Emma Frost (clear plastic version of HML Series 1 figure)
  • 25th Anniversary Wolverine (silver version of ML Series 6 figure)
  • The Silver Surfer (Re-issue of Silver Surfer from Toy Biz's series 5 figure)

[edit] Box Sets

[edit] Urban Legends

[edit] X-Men Legends

It should be noted that the unmasked Wolverine included in this set was a different head sculpt from the previous unmasked Wolverine chase figure that was part of Marvel Legends wave 3.

[edit] Fantastic Four

[edit] Fantastic Four (variant set)

[edit] Spider-Man & The Sinister Six

[edit] Spider-Man: Fearsome Foes

[edit] Young Avengers

[edit] Marvel Monsters

[edit] House of M

  • Hulk (House of M version: bald, aboriginal body paint)
  • Iron Man (House of M version: giant gun, energy packs on back)
  • The It (The Thing as seen in Fantastic Four: House of M, red-orange color and hunchbacked)
  • The Inhuman Torch (Kristoff Vernard, as seen in Fantastic Four: House of M)

[edit] Face Off Two-Packs

The "Face-Off" series was first released in mid 2006. Each set includes two 6" scale figures, a base with background, and a reprint comic.

[edit] Series 1

  • Captain America vs. Red Skull (includes Captain America #32)
  • Captain America (unmasked) vs. Baron Strucker (variant)
  • Daredevil vs. Kingpin (includes Daredevil vol. 1 #171)
  • Daredevil (unmasked) vs. Kingpin (angry face, black suit)
  • Hulk vs. Leader (modern) (includes Incredible Hulk vol. 1 #115)
  • Hulk (screaming) vs. Leader (classic)

[edit] Series 2

  • First Appearance Wolverine vs. Sabretooth (includes Wolverine #10)
  • First Appearance Wolverine (screaming) vs. Sabretooth (screaming)
  • Iron Man (Modular Armor) vs. Mandarin (includes Iron Man #311)
  • War Machine vs. red-costumed Mandarin (variant)
  • Punisher (classic) vs. Jigsaw (Punisher costume) (includes Punisher #36)
  • Punisher (modern) vs. Business Suit Jigsaw (variant)

[edit] Icons

The "Icons" series includes 12 inch articulated figures of various characters from Marvel. The Toy Biz Icons each came with an "Evolution of an Icon" comic sized book including a history and stats of the character as well as artwork. These books are not included in the Hasbro Icons.

[edit] Toy Biz

[edit] Series 1

[edit] Series 2

  • Hulk
  • Hulk (Grey variant)
  • Venom
  • Venom (Unmasked variant)

[edit] Series 3

  • Beast(gray fur)
  • Beast(Variant, blue fur, labcoat and glasses)
  • Spider-Man
  • Spider-man (Unmasked variant)

[edit] Hasbro

[edit] Series 1

  • Thor
  • Wolverine (Toy Biz series 1 repaint)
    • NOTE: This is a new color variant of Wolverine's current New Avengers/Astonishing X-Men costume. It has never been seen in comics.

[edit] Series 2

[edit] Series 3

[edit] Future waves

Due to the success of the Icons line, Hasbro has announced it will be continued, and inlcude the following characters at some point in the future.

  • Colossus
  • Cyclops
  • Daredevil
  • Daredevil Variant
  • Iceman
  • Magneto
  • Nightcrawler
  • Phoenix
  • Phoenix Variant

[edit] Prototypes

Because of its status among tech-savvy collectors, leaked information and rumors play a significant role in the Marvel Legends line. Early in October of 2005, pre-production promotional material for the 13th series, "Bring on the Bad Guys," was leaked to the web. These materials depicted a seventh figure, Crimson Dynamo, and also advertised that each figure in the series would come with a secondary generic "henchman" figure. Shortly after the leak, however, Jesse Falcon, from product development at Toy Biz, stated that neither Crimson Dynamo nor the "henchman" pack-ins were still slated as part of "Bring on the Bad Guys." It was later announced that the Skrull and Brood henchmen figures would be released as part of the Marvel Select line, while the HYDRA Agent is to be included in series 3 of Hasbro's Marvel Legends line. In addition, a pack-in of Wild Child, slated for release with the Age of Apocalypse Sabretooth in the Wal*Mart Exclusive Giant-Man series was also scrapped.

Similar pre-production materials surfaced for the 14th series, stating it would feature non-articulated, one inch X-Babies pack-ins. Series 15 initially included the characters Quicksilver (Quicksilver has since been confirmed for Hasbro's series 2 "Blob" series) and Mandarin (Mandarin has since been confirmed for the second series of the "Face Off" two-packs). According to Jesse Falcon, early cost analysis was also run to explore the possibility of a "Build-a-Vehicle" Quinjet. All of these figures and features were cancelled before production.

At the San Diego Comic Convention in July 2006 a Thunder Frog (Thor turned into a frog by Loki) and Forbush Man (Marvel's unofficial mascot, a character from the Not Brand ECHH! humor book) were displayed by Toy Biz indicating additional figures that may never see the light of day.

[edit] Henchmen

  • AIM Agent
  • Doombot
  • Hydra Agent (a new, more articulated sculpt of the Hydra Agent will be released in Hasbro Marvel Legends series 3.)
  • Hand Ninja
  • Hellfire Club Soldier

[edit] X-Babies

  • Colossus
  • Creepy Crawler (Nightcrawler)
  • Shadowkitty (Shadowcat)
  • Shower (Storm)
  • Shugah (Rogue)
  • Wolvie (Wolverine)

[edit] Mitey 'Vengers

  • Captain Amerikid (Captain America)
  • Hawkey (Hawkeye)
  • Iron Ace (Iron Man)
  • Thunderson (Thor)

[edit] Related Lines

Toy Biz has several lines of toys which are related to Marvel Legends in that the toys are Marvel characters, often exhibit comparable articulation, and are similar in scale. With the exception of Spider-Man Classics, which actually pre-date Marvel Legends, these lines do not include comic books and do not ship in the same clamshell packaging. The figures in these related lines also usually include some sort of "action feature," sometimes limiting their articulation and ostensibly intended to make the toys more appealing to children. Several popular characters (usually villains) that have not appeared under the Marvel Legends brand have made appearances in these lines, and thus are usually the most desired among collectors. These include most of Spider-Man's rogues gallery (including the Beetle, the Hobgoblin, the Scorpion, Sandman, Mysterio, Man-Wolf, Hydro-Man, Shocker, Jack O'Lantern aka Mad Jack, and Morbius), as well as some of the Hulk's (Absorbing Man), Fantastic Four (Super Skrull, Kang, and Dragon Man), and X-Men (Avalanche).

  • X-Men 3 Movie Tie-In Figures (3 waves, Cancelled), several new sculpts of both completely original costumes and previously unproduced costumes with repaints of existing figures scattered throughout.)

Though not Marvel characters, Toy Biz's The Lord of the Rings and TNA line of toys also included some super poseable figures much in the same style.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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