• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

This Week In Your Plastic Crack, Action Figures and Toy Collection
26 26

9,261 posts in this topic

On 5/6/2019 at 11:56 PM, followtheleader said:

Personally, the Thor is my favorite from the pic. 

Besides Odin he was the one I was looking forward to the most because I agree, his sculpt and paint look magnificent, so I was very disappointed to see how awful his articulation is.  Probably the worst of any Hasbro figure I've ever had...no ankle pivot, his arms barely move, the cape gets in the way and can't be removed, his head almost doesn't move at all in any direction.  Eh, I mostly bought him just because I do like that suit he's wearing there, I'm hoping my main Thor will be the one that's coming out in a few months pictured below, it was modeled on the Alex Ross Thor and looks MAGNIFICENT.  Based upon pictures I've seen it also seems like they fixed his scale, I think he's about an inch shorter than all of the other Hasbro comic Thors.  He also looks like he'll articulate much better, haven't seen his range of motion but he does have double-jointed elbows unlike all of the other comic Thors, and it's clear just from this pic that he does have ankle pivot, which matters a LOT for dynamic posing.

Hasbro-MArvel-Legends-80th-Anniversary-Alex-Ross-Thor-Promo-01-1.jpg

Edited by fantastic_four
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, comicwiz said:

Batman: The Animated Series (TAS) not only solidified a foundation for the DC animated universe, but it also was the first real immersive experience for my youngest son to enjoy the Batman character. Unlike the dark, brooding portrayal in live action films, the animation used a warm, angular style that was friendlier to younger viewers, but also had the look, feel and quality harkening back to the Fleischer era Superman cartoons from the 1940's. Around the time he started getting into Batman, I found a DVD boxed set which was already 20 years old from the time the animation first aired, and it was amazing how well it stood up to time, and the amount of times I replayed it during car rides when he was just a few years old was a testament to how much he enjoyed it. When we began the pursuit of finding preproduction Batman figures for his collection, I always felt there was something missing with the Kenner line that I just couldn't put my finger on. I had opportunities to buy mock-ups, and a few first/test shots, but the sculpting just seemed a little distant from the style Bruce Timm envisioned for the animated cartoon. What's interesting is that a year or so before we began collecting Batman preprod figures, we were at a yard sale and I happened to find one of the McDonald's Happy Meal Batman toys from 1993 food promotion and recalled how excited he was that he found a figure that matched-up well with the animated character he watched on television.

Another important point is that in pursuing the goal of finding Batman preprod from as early as 1966 to now, we've seen some really cool characters which we were tempted to add to the collection, but decidedly chose instead to concentrate strictly on Batman. It was his exposure to the animated series which made my son warm up to the idea of having a Batgirl in the collection, because he really liked the look they achieved in the animation. So it certainly felt like the stars aligned when I was given the opportunity to acquire the hand cast and hand painted deco masters from the 1993 McDonald's Happy Meal toy line. Also pictured below is an unpainted urethane resin cast of Batgirl, and all three figural prototypes are pinned together at their articulation points with metal pins. Batgirl is on a plastic base because the original sculptor had been using it as a portfolio piece at trade shows. The two unpainted urethane castings are drivers for the vehicles which were also released in the 1993 food promotion, and are the villains Two-Face (half painted) and Poison Ivy.

Interestingly, the sculptor was also offered the Spider-Man food promotion in 1995 (which coincided with a planned first film that never materialized, and which is an absolute favourite of mine), but had turned it down because he was swamped with other project commitments. The sculptor also relayed an interesting story about the 1993 Batman TAS toys he worked on. The sculptors process was to start the work in clay, then mold and cast wax to finish. When he was at the final wax stage on all the pieces in the line, including the vehicle figures, he recieved a visit from some executives from the ad agency who was handling the project for McDonald's. As the story goes, one of the junior executives (a nephew of one of the higher ups in the corporate lader) asked the sculptor if he could take the waxes to show to someone - unfortunately who he needed to show the waxes to escapes his memory. So he boxed up all the unmolded sculptures (at that time, thousands of dollars worth) and he took them with him. Sadly, he didn't label the box or put a packing slip on it or anything - the execs were apparently in a big hurry, so he just handed it over expecting they would give them the white glove treatment.

The junior exec took the box home with him that night, and the next morning, put the box on top of his car to open the car door and proceeded to drive to work realizing only much later he'd left the box of sculptures on the roof of the car. As a result of this terrible mishap, the sculptor had to go back to the clay molds, recast and resculpt everything - as he puts it, at "warp speed" - since the project was already late. Rushed or not, these would precede the Kenner line by a year, with an amazingly striking screen accurate likeness, which should be mentioned would coincide with the animated feature film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. We both feel extremely fortunate to have been able to acquire these pieces, and really appreciate the work and effort he put into these - the pictures simply don't really do the finer details on these justice. I thought members here would appreciate sharing the background story on how toys are made, and the neat little history of this toy line.

IMG_20190507_1503075.jpg

IMG_20190507_1506269.jpg

IMG_20190507_1454352.jpg

batman painted samples.jpg

prototype_story.jpg

WOW. Love the story and the pieces.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was already in high school, but I remember diligently showing up at McDonald's to pick up all of the Animated figures and cars. They were very well made for a Happy Meal toy, and I always loved that Batgirl sculpt. Once again, very cool stuff, thanks for sharing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, F For Fake said:

I was already in high school, but I remember diligently showing up at McDonald's to pick up all of the Animated figures and cars. They were very well made for a Happy Meal toy, and I always loved that Batgirl sculpt. Once again, very cool stuff, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the kind words. I was in University at the time, and very broke. I was a health maniac those days too so I tended not to eat at McDonald's all that often, but I can vividly remember going to them weekly just for the toys, and to make sure I got all the figures when these food promotions were running. This was pre-internet/eBay so I remember having missed one or two characters, and not being able to get those toys until much later as an adult. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Landed another original owner toy collection, I am not big into MOTU but had to buy all of it to take the Joe stuff home. Not nearly the deal the Flagg collection was but much better figure selection. He must have like He-man way more as those are worn and the Joe's are near mint. One of the best Mail Away Cobra Commanders I have seen ever. Serpentor is pretty flawless but crotch broke trying to swap o-rings so will have to repair.Had a nice full cardback stack with it.

What is interesting here is I never have seen any real qty of Joe stuff in years and in 4 weeks three  collections have came up within a few minutes from the house. In two of those the parents of my generation (Just turned 45 myself) were retiring and moving to Florida, the other the parents had passed away. 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_1708.JPG

IMG_1709.JPG

IMG_1710.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, followtheleader said:

Looks like the dark faced Grizzlor.  Hard to tell from the pic.

Patrick

Good Eye Patrick. It is the Dark Faced version. I noticed it and Grayskull looked complete, Leg bands are shot on several and I think you got candle wax in that house as Torture so I am soaking all of them for a couple days.If I can get them cleaned up and standing I think they will display ok on one side of the room.

 

Thanks

Phillip

 

 

 

MOTU.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Real Elijah Snow said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1984-Hasbro-Transformers-G1-Twin-Twist-Jumpstarter-Sealed-Box-NEW/392296259338?epid=1208082588&hash=item5b56addf0a:g:GWQAAOSwaGhcwv9Z

 

I'm no Transformers expert, but I've been buying some lately. 

Sealed???

Sealed with a Bumblebee inside? What craziness is this?

0% chance this is legit. 

But pretty fun to see and wonder. 

Patrick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I want something... 

If anyone has a decent lead on this let me know... I am looking for what everyone else is... best looking sample, must be complete, and at the cheapest price.  Box is unwanted if not unnecessary but I 'might' be interested in the instructions... 

Transformers: Micromaster Base: Countdown 

It was one of the last Transformers I ever bought as a kid. Saved up a bunch of money for it and I definitely regret selling it... Went toward college education but still... 

41uPwwMlscL.jpg

Edited by Buzzetta
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may, or may not be right place for this and i apologize in advance. I didnt want to just create a topic for this.  There is a 2 pack of wolverine hulk coming out in the fall this year. It is an 80th anniversary marvel legends set. I have found multiple places on line to pre order for as cheap as 59.99. However my lcs will order for me at a better price, but i cannot find the info for them to order nor can they. Does anyone have any info they can share with me as to what i can tell my lcs to do to order? They do not have this in there system. Is this an exclusive? I have seen in my search this is a fan channel exclusive, but i have no idea what that means or if it is a specific group you have to belong to. Any help is greatly appreciated. Below is a picture of item i am talking about. Thanks for any info and all guidance.

 

apih4qobc__28409.1553715159.jpg

Edited by wolverine180
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, wolverine180 said:

This may, or may not be right place for this and i apologize in advance. I didnt want to just create a topic for this.  There is a 2 pack of wolverine hulk coming out in the fall this year. It is an 80th anniversary marvel legends set. I have found multiple places on line to pre order for as cheap as 59.99. However my lcs will order for me at a better price, but i cannot find the info for them to order nor can they. Does anyone have any info they can share with me as to what i can tell my lcs to do to order? They do not have this in there system. Is this an exclusive? I have seen in my search this is a fan channel exclusive, but i have no idea what that means or if it is a specific group you have to belong to. Any help is greatly appreciated. Below is a picture of item i am talking about. Thanks for any info and all guidance.

 

 

Unless your LCS has an account with Hasbro, they would most likely be ordering it through Diamond.   He would have to call them.  In my prior experience, no LCS in the world has been able to beat the Walmart, Amazon, or Target price as they do not order the sheer volume to afford or accommodate a decent discount. 

To be honest though, I think you are better off ordering it through Hasbro Pulse in this case as soon as the preorder becomes available especially with the delays and allocations that LCS's face.  The Marvel 80th Anniversary Wolverine in Cowboy Hat is already up for Preorder so these may follow suit in the next week or month or two. 

https://hasbropulse.com/collections/preorders

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
26 26