Hasbro Combat Heroes/Super Hero Squad

The first time I saw Hasbro Mini figures like this was at my local Family Dollar.They weren't G.I. Joe or Marvel,though,instead they were all Star Wars themed figures.I remember picking up Chewbacca,C3PO and Luke.I've since parted with those but throughout my collecting years,I've had many-a -Marvel Mini come and go.The Snake Eyes I acquired via trade with fellow blogger   Jason Vorhees,who seems to be M.I.A. of late.Hopefully that will change as his blog was one of the better ones out there.Come on back J!The Punisher mini came over from John's shelves over at Robot Monster Space Hero along with an Indiana Jones.When you talk about collect-ability,this line should quickly come to mind.There are thousands of different characters available to choose from representing the Star Wars,G.I. Joe,Transformers and Indiana Jones franchises!The nice thing about these figures Is that they are semi-articulated and can do cool things like point their weapons In certain directions and turn their heads ,making them ideal for kids who like a little pose-ability with their figures.   I must admit to not being the biggest fan of mini figures and have recently gotten rid of most of them.Snake Eyes and Punisher,however,will be staying with me ;)

• Collect-ability/Variety
• Semi-Articulated
•  Vibrant On Display
• Available Everywhere
• Come In 2 Packs

Marvel Universe-Loki (Family Dollar)

I really wanted Hasbro to release some villains in this line of  lesser articulated Marvel figures.So when I saw this figure hanging on the pegs the other day at my local Family Dollar,I felt as If my toy wish had been granted!I'm not sure whats In store for the rest of the line but I hope a Dr.Doom figure Is In the works. I've made It a point to snatch these figures up whenever I have the chance to because they're just that cool IMO.Even without the hyper-articulation,Hasbro has put out a decent  and affordable product that should be available to the majority of us toy collectors who refuse to drive for miles and miles to buy some exclusive action figure that  won't even be on the pegs when you finally do get to your closest TRU ,45 minutes later.Now ,my good friend and founder of the Toy Swamp https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/111283318017497985612 Brother Midnight  just checked out his local Family Dollar and  found a row of empty pegs,but I'll keep my eyes peeled to see If they release these bad boys anywhere else.I'm thinking Big Lots and Dollar General(who know owns Family Dollar) should have these in stock sooner or later.Now on to the figure...

Right off the bat,just by looking at the figure inside the packaging you'll notice that his helmet seems to be removable.This Is confirmed once out of the packaging.Thank god because I would have been more than ticked had his helmet been permanently attached to the head sculpt with his hairline partially showing.The paint on this one Is all right,but you gotta be careful when buying these online as some of them do have minor paint issues.I was able to inspect mine in hand before purchasing,but being that this was the last one on the pegs,I probably would have picked It up anyways, bad paint and all.

This Loki Is definitely based on Tom Hiddleston,the actor who plays Loki In the Avengers live action film.This becomes  apparent upon  removing of his helmet.I will say that for a villain,his facial demeanor could have been a little more menacing.

The sculpt for this version of Loki Is awesome and while his hands aren't really molded to hold much,the left arm Is partially bent to give him the ability to hold up his helmet or cast a crippling spell!

The cape Is molded out of a hard plastic,similar to Thor's from the same line,and really looks great.You would think that these caped  figures would have balance issues but on the contrary,these fockers stand pretty damn sturdy.We're not dealing with cheap plastic here either guys,these figures are solid! Marvel Universe plastic Is somewhat  soft in comparison.

Here's my small,but growing collection of  discount Marvel Universe action figures.

5 Points that warrant the purchase of a discount dollar store Marvel Universe Loki and others from the line!

• Less articulation Is popular again
• Expanding character selection
• Removable accessories
• Price point
• Pop on display

Mattel Secret Wars !

This Is where Marvel really  had me by the gonads and pretty much sucked me in for good.I had always liked superheroes and whenever Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends  showed on t.v. I made It a point to sit and watch.I remember watching the old live Spider-Man and Captain America series as well,but It wasn't until I saw these bad boys hanging off the pegs at a local CVS pharmacy, that I would start to obsess over any and everything related to Marvel.My first recollection of owning any of Mattel's Secret Wars figures was of Captain America,but I'm not sure If I found him somewhere or If I bought It carded.He was definitely the first figure from the line I ever owned.The second?Dr.Doom!My mom and I would take walks,frequently,to the store for little odds and ends and on one visit to a local CVS  pharmacy I was lucky enough to find Dr.Doom! I'm surprised I didn't fall into a sewer with a missing manhole cover because I read that card back and looked at the figure inside that packaging the whole walk home.I needed to know more about this "Secret" war going on between some of my favorite comic book heroes!I quickly got home and tried decoding what was going on by somehow piecing together the shield lenses to try to get some sense of what was going on,but ultimately succumbed to my imagination and created my own little secret war between Captain America and Dr.Doom.It was later on that I would discover the Secret Wars series of comics and realize that one really had nothing to do with the other.There was no Daredevil or Baron Zemo in the comic version  and the story arcs were different. Didn't matter, though, because the figures rocked all the same.Needless to say these are some of my favorite items, currently, In my collection. They've been a mainstay and will continue to be for a long time, and here are my 5 reasons why ;)

• Amazing color,sculpt
• Great battle poses/closed fist make up for lack of articulation
• Small but nice selection of  Marvel's more prominent characters
• Durable 
• Awesome likeness to comic counterparts
  
  
  
  

  

  Favorite Spider Man figure EVER!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  I always loved how Doom was able to carry both weapons when not in use.. 

Favorite Iron Man figure EVER!

Can this this look anymore like Doc Ock!

Marvel Miniature Figures

The cool thing about these miniature Marvel figures put out by Toy Biz and Hasbro is the articulation. While sporting a little less than 5 points, each of them is posed in a unique way, armed  and ready to do battle. Any kid looking to take their Marvel adventures on-the-go could easily do so as most of these miniature figures measure about 1 inch and a half, give or take, and are portable enough to stuff inside your pocket ,stashed for future play sessions. While some of them have their corresponding weapons, Cap with his shield and Punisher with his small arsenal, all accessories are attached and cannot be removed, which is a good thing when your dealing with figures this size. Although, I must say that a removeable shield, at this scale, would have been pretty ef-ing awesome !The Toy Biz miniatures are easily distinguishable from the newer released Hasbro figs because of their height, heftiness and die - cast  sculpts. Safe to say you didn't want to piss off a friend who just so happened to be holding a Toy Biz die-cast Apocalypse figure in his throwing hand. The Hasbro figures are pretty awesome in their own right, sporting decent paint apps that pail in comparison to the  Toy Biz minis. Also, I have a hard time getting them to stand up when displaying or taking pics. Namely the Iron Man figure. The bright spot lies in the level of detail and addition of accessories for characters like Punisher and Captain America.You can't go wrong with Marvel miniature poseable figures and here are my 5 points to prove it.....

• Portable
• Poseable
• Easier to build backdrops and dioramas for
• Great for comparison pics next to bigger figures
• Huge assortment of characters to choose from (Toy Biz or Hasbro)