Marvel Select

Marvel Select is a line of action figures based on superheroes and supervillains from the Marvel Universe that has been designed and released by Diamond Select Toys since 2002. Marvel Select figures are available only from comic shops, as well as specialty retailers like the Disney Store.

History

At its inception in 2002, the Marvel Select line was designed, sold and marketed by Diamond Select Toys, with development and production by Marvel Comics' toy division, Toy Biz. Now that Toy Biz is defunct, all development is done in-house at Diamond Select. The figures were originally limited to the Ultimate Marvel and Marvel Knights characters, while mass-market toy lines dealt with the main-universe characters. However, those restrictions were eventually lifted, allowing the line to expand its scope, and today Marvel Select covers all the core characters, as well as most of the Marvel movies. In the early days of the line, figures focused on sculpting over articulation, but they also tended to include large, diorama-sized bases and accessories (sometimes even a second figure) that necessitated large display packaging. These pack-ins helped establish Marvel Select as a collector-targeted toy line, although the dioramas were minimized or left out once the line began to tackle larger characters, like the Hulk.[1] The Marvel Select packaging, distinctively decorated with comic artwork of each character, is still the same today, and Diamond Select uses the "Select" label for other brands, including Universal Monsters, Star Trek and The Munsters, to indicate that a line is in the 7-inch scale and comes in Marvel Select-style packaging.

Scale

Unlike other toy lines, where figure sizes can often be inconsistent, Marvel Select figures are sculpted in a strict 7" scale. In that scale, the larger characters of the Marvel Universe can stand as tall as 9 or 10 inches, and while they would need special treatment in any other toy line, in Marvel Select they simply fill up the line's already ample packaging, which was originally designed to allow plenty of space for bases and accessories. However, since the size of characters in the Marvel Universe can often vary according to the artist, those larger figures can also appear to be in scale with 6-inch scale figures and even 3 3/4-inch scale figures, on occasion, making the line popular with collectors of multiple toy lines.

Fan polls

In 2004, She-Hulk was chosen in a fan poll run by ToyFare magazine, allowing respondents to pick which of five characters (also including Sandman, Thanos, "DoFP" Wolverine and New X-Men Beast) would be produced as an exclusive for the 2005 summer conventions. Since then, two of the other candidates (Thanos and Wolverine) have been released.

Released figures

  1. Ultimate Spider-Man with a burglar webbed to a wall base
  2. Punisher with smashed pinball machine, arsenal of weapons and thug victim figure
  3. Elektra with castle tower display base, ninja arsenal and additional hand and leg attachments
  4. Ultimate Captain America with flag, shield and WWII battlefield base
  5. Black Widow II with cave wall base, pistol, rifle, knife and storage drums
  6. Origin Wolverine with forest display and wolves
  7. Black Cat with apartment wall base, safe, jewels and unarticulated crawling Spider-Man
  8. Ultimate Iron Man with removable forearm armor and recharging station
  9. Ultimate Hulk with printed scenic city base (Black/Gray initial release/Matte Gray reissue)
  10. Ultimate Venom (classic Venom variant) with an unmasked Spider-Man webbed to the wall base and symbiote jar
  11. Ultimate Wolverine with injured Magneto
  12. Classic Green Goblin with goblin glider, pumpkin bomb and tied-up unmasked unarticulated Spider-Man accessory
  13. Ultimate Thor with Mjölnir and defeated Giant-Man base
  14. Dr. Doom with goblet, pistol, interchangeable hand, and detailed throne with banners
  15. Dr. Octopus with removable flexible tentacles and articulated Spider-Man
  16. "Here Comes Tomorrow" Phoenix (fiery transparent Phoenix variant) with flame base
  17. Emma Frost (diamond transparent Emma variant) with detailed fireplace and mantle display base
  18. Black Costume Spider-Man with rooftop gargoyle ledge
  19. She-Hulk with crushed car (ToyFare poll winner/convention tour exclusive)
  20. Ultimate Carnage with Gwen Stacy corpse
  21. Thanos with alternate Infinity Gauntlet hand and Death (with separate face-mask)
  22. "Days of the Future Past" Wolverine with Katherine Pride and wanted poster ruins base
  23. Uatu the Watcher with moon stand
  24. Spider-Woman I (first appearance variant with full cowl) with detachable web shot, Hydra Agents and Hydra mansion base
  25. Spider-Woman II 2006 SDCC exclusive with Hydra Agents and Hydra mansion base
  26. Moon Knight with Khonshu Statue
  27. Cloak & Dagger with light knives
  28. Iron Spider with rooftop gargoyle ledge (ToyFare exclusive repaint of the Black Costume Spider-Man)
  29. Mephisto with throne
  30. Ghost Rider with fiery highway base
  31. Alien Legends: Skrull and Brood 2-pack
  32. Zombie Spider-Man with detachable leg and Silver Surfer pieces base
  33. Zombie Colonel America with removable skull, shield and Silver Surfer pieces base
  34. Zombie Hulk with Silver Surfer pieces base
  35. Skrull Elektra and Skrull repaints (2010 SDCC exclusive)
  36. Modern Costume Thor with Mjölnir and Asgard base
  37. Incredible Hulk with rubble-strewn base
  38. Extremis Armor Iron Man (stealth armor variant and Captain America armor BigBadToyStore exclusive variant) with blast off base
  39. Captain America (unmasked variant) with pistol, canteen, sword in holster, and eagle ledge
  40. Red Hulk with rubble-strewn base (BigBadToyStore exclusive)
  41. Arachne from Best of Marvel Select Series 3, with Hydra Agents and Hydra mansion base
  42. Skrull Three-Pack from Best of Marvel Select Series 3
  43. Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell variant and Genis-Vell variant with Kree navy uniform with pistol) with crashed Skrull ship base
  44. Anti-Venom with symbiote base
  45. Wolverine (first appearance variant, uncanny costume variant and unmasked uncanny costume variant) with Weapon X base
  46. Marvel Girl (Rachel Summers variant) with half of the Xavier mansion gate
  47. X-Men Origins: Wolverine with dumpster
  48. Sabretooth (first appearance variant) with damaged Weapon X facility base
  49. Daredevil (unmasked variant) with cathedral roof top
  50. Spider-Man with destroyed car base
  51. Iron Man 2: Iron Man Mark VI with armory base
  52. Iron Man 2: Iron Man Mark IV with armory base (Borders exclusive)
  53. Iron Man 2: War Machine with Hammer armory base, (Red arc Borders exclusive variant)
  54. The Thing with printed group scene Fantastic Four base
  55. Abomination with destroyed ground base
  56. Cyclops (X-Factor variant) with interchangeable mask-less head and danger room base
  57. Deadpool (unmasked variant) back alley base
  58. Magneto (no helmet variant) with destroyed Xavier mansion base
  59. Juggernaut (unmasked variant) with printed rubble base
  60. Thor Movie: Loki with Heimdall's sword and half of Bifröst gate base
  61. Thor Movie: Thor with Mjölnir and half of Bifröst gate base
  62. Gambit (long-haired variant) with interchangeable hands, charged-cards, staff and danger room base
  63. Captain America: The First Avenger: Captain America with shield, pistol and half of a Cosmic Cube base
  64. Captain America: The First Avenger: Red Skull with pistol and half of a Cosmic Cube base
  65. Hawkeye with Wasp and slain Ultron base (Disney Store exclusive)
  66. Classic Thor with rock base (Disney Store exclusive)
  67. Captain America with platform base (Disney Store exclusive)
  68. Black Widow with Ant-Man and slain Ultron base (Disney Store exclusive)
  69. Colossus with danger room base
  70. Modern Green Goblin with glider base
  71. The Avengers: Hulk
  72. The Avengers: Hawkeye with Pershing Square railing base
  73. The Avengers: Chitauri Footsoldier with Pershing Square railing base
  74. The Avengers: Iron Man Mark VI with armory base - re-issue of Iron Man 2: Iron Man Mark VI
  75. The Amazing Spider-Man: Lizard
  76. The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Man with interchangeable hands and awning base
  77. The Amazing Spider-Man: Unmasked Spider-Man with interchangeable head, hands and awning base (Disney Store exclusive)
  78. The Amazing Spider-Man: Metallic Spider-Man with interchangeable hands and awning base (Disney Store exclusive)
  79. Ultron with Ant-Man and Wasp (fallen heroes) base
  80. Storm (short hair variant) with Danger Room base (same as Gambit and Cyclops, but with added saw and torch attachments)
  81. Unleashed Hulk (Disney Store exclusive)
  82. Flash Thompson as (Agent) Venom with revolver pistol, modern pistol and wreckage base (Disney Store exclusive)
  83. Lizard with brick wall base (Disney Store exclusive)
  84. Barbarian Hulk
  85. Rhino
  86. Venom (Eddie Brock) with interchangeable heads/hands and multiple headed attachment
  87. Nightcrawler with teleportation base
  88. Iron Man 3: Iron Man Mark 42 with interchangeable unmasked head, alternate hands and armory base
  89. Iron Man 3: War Machine with interchangeable unmasked head, shoulder cannon and armory base
  90. Iron Man 3: Iron Patriot with interchangeable unmasked head, shoulder cannon and armory base (Disney Store exclusive)
  91. Iron Man 3: Iron Man Battle damaged Mark 42 with interchangeable unmasked head, alternate hands and armory base (Disney Store exclusive)
  92. The Wolverine: Wolverine with two interchangeable heads, four interchangeable hands and a sword
  93. Thor: The Dark World: Thor with Mjolnir and half of a rocky display base
  94. Silver Surfer with surfboard, energy blasts, infinity gauntlet and energy trail base
  95. Winter Soldier with pistol, machine gun, sniper rifle, crate and shattered window display base (Disney Store exclusive)
  96. Thor: The Dark World: Jane Foster with interchangeable aether possessed head, dark elf sword and half of a rocky display base
  97. The Superior Spider-Man with display base depicting the aftermath of a battle with the Sinister Six (Disney Store exclusive)
  98. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Captain America in stealth suit with helicarrier-inspired display base
  99. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Unmasked Battle Damaged Captain America in stealth suit with interchangeable full cowl head and helicarrier-inspired display base (Disney Store exclusive)
  100. The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Unmasked Spider-Man with interchangeable head and hands with web swings (Disney Store exclusive)
  101. The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Spider-Man with interchangeable hands, web swings, fire helmet and fire hose nozzle
  102. Savage Hulk with rubble-strewn base (Disney Store exclusive)
  103. Black Widow with Ant-Man and slain Ultron base (Black repaint of Disney Store exclusive)
  104. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Falcon with battle damaged helicarrier-inspired display base
  105. The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Spider-Man with interchangeable right hand, web swings and awning base
  106. Electro and Spider-Man (reissue) Two-Pack with two power rod display bases (Disney Store exclusive)
  107. Zombie Magneto with rubble base and severed green goblin limb
  108. Bleeding Edge Iron Man with a demolished plane wing display base (Disney Store exclusive)
  109. Unmasked Captain America with platform base (Disney Store exclusive)
  110. The Mighty Thor with an alternate head and fist, Mjölnir, and spinning Mjölnir accessory (Disney Store exclusive)
  111. Cable with a defeated Stryfe base, pistol, shoulder mounted gun, oversized gun, two large guns and a knife.
  112. Carnage (Cletus Kasady) with interchangeable heads and tendrils
  113. Avenging Hawkeye with alternate bandaged head, interchangeable pistol grip hand, crossbow pistol, compound bow and Lucky the pizza dog (Disney Store exclusive)

Announced figures

Gift sets

Two gift sets of Marvel Select figures have been released, exclusively through the Disney Store.

The "Fearsome Foes of Spider-Man" box set came out for Holiday 2012 and included Spider-Man, Modern Green Goblin, The Lizard and Flash Thompson. All figures were also released individually, the latter two exclusively at Disney Stores.

The Electro and Spider-Man two-pack came out during Summer 2014. In early 2015, Electro was released individually, exclusively at Disney Stores.

Best of Marvel Select

DST at one point offered "Best Of Marvel Select" assortments, allowing retailers to re-order popular, sold-out figures, sometimes with newly repainted or repackaged figures mixed in. Arachne and the Skrull Three-Pack were originally offered in the third "Best of" assortment.

Cancelled figures

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Superheroes Base Review: Marvel Select Hulk"
  2. ↑ http://thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=90940&start=2205