Friday 26 March 2010

Two New Figures

Hey guys I’m back with another update this week and as I missed last Friday I thought it only fair to announce two characters.

Into the extension:
First we have The Puppet Master. Classic Fantastic Four villain and alongside his step-daughter Alicia has contributed hugely to the FF Universe.



Right our second entry today is Shanna The She-Devil.



Figurine Preview:
This week’s figurine preview is Omega Red. We’ve worked hard on this figure trying to catch the energy he has and make sure the tendrils look good. We’ve missed our cut-off point for the character as the next special so that goes to Ronan, but it does mean that Omega Red will feature at some point in the not too distant future.




A few points:
Multi and double packs: I personally love the idea of getting as many figurines out as possible as I would love to get every member of the Marvel Universe. The problem we have with multi packs is finding an ideal price point and making sure we’re not flooding the market with too many figurines. A lot of people are looking at their budgets now and making cuts, I’d hate to lose collectors due to them not being able to afford all the multi-packs and so stopping their collection – there are a lot of collectors who want to collect the whole series but at an affordable price. I am still talking to my marketing department about double packs and at the moment the conclusion seems to be that two normal sized figures may not be as successful as one normal and one special sized character. What do you guys think?

I also wanted to address the issue of Fin Fang Foom breakages. First off, I can only apologise if you’ve received a broken figurine. When we first start the sculpting process we do consider if a figurine is going to have problems later down the line. We often check with the sculptor to make sure we can package the figure effectively, while retaining the pose and detail we want. Obviously some figures are going to be more problematic than others, but once we’ve sent the figure to the factory we do get it back in the packaging. Often we’ll throw the box around and put pressure on it, if we think it can be better or needs ties to hold the figure in place we make the changes.

There’s always the chance that something will get broken in the mail, but I am dismayed that after all we go through some figures end up with a high breakage rate. I’ve passed comments on to our production team and I’m hopeful that we can limit the numbers of broken figures you guys get. At the very least I will be testing the boxes more vigorously in the future.

175 comments:

Anonymous said...

Finally! A pair of wild cards. While Puppetmaster is kinda the last FF villain I was hoping for, it's cool to get him in the collection. Hopefully he'll come with lil puppets of the FF as well. And it's great to be getting Shanna. But hopefully it's the bikini version of her costume, not the one piece. It would be a shame if she comes out wearing more clothes than Ka-Zar.

Omega Red looks great. But nice to hear Ronin is getting the nod before Omega. Still waiting to hear about Blob and such though.

As for Specials. I think you need to at least try with Northstar and Aurora. But the 2-Pack of one larger and one smaller character is a great idea. Sasquatch and Puck and Groot and Rocket Raccoon would be good starters. Maybe Mojo and Longshot even.

Mr J said...

Puppet Master is cool and Shanna is ok.

Omega looks freaking amazing! much better than Ronan so Hopefully he is the first special of 2011. Where's the Blob preview most of us are still waiting for?

Can we get a X-Men character announced nect week?

buffduffdan said...

Shanna is a great confirmation and will look brilliant alongside Ka-Zar & Zabu! Puppet Master is cool for the FF side, not a character I'm a big fan of but deserving none-the-less :)

Omega Red looks awesome! With him and Ronan on the way then the future of the specials will be amazing :D

As for double packs, I think 2 figures packaged together at £12 would sell fine. After-all if people are willing to pay £6 for a fig then surely they'd be happy paying the same twice? Multi-packs could be more tricky but on the forum we did run a poll which asked:

Would you be willing to pay the mega special price (£18) for a team pack of 3 figures?
Yes [209][79.47%]
Maybe - depends on team [48][18.25%]
No [6][2.28%]

So I'd say the support for them is definitely there!!

jarvis69 said...

You really make me happy : Puppet Master !!With Him , we're REALLY in Classic ;)
About the specials....as CBR said...let's try...they're the most wanted .
Omega Red fig look great but..not for me . As You said , it's time to save money if I want to go on in the collection so , some " cuts" will be necessary ( unfortunately...)

Anonymous said...

I also hope we get an X-Men Character announced next week. One of my Top 5 would be great.

1. Dark Beast
2. Magik (Illyana Rasputin)
3. Sage
4. Selene
5. Morph (Exiles)

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Wow! Shanna is a fab choice, stick to the steranko cover to shanna # 2
and you won't go far wrong.
Puppet master could be a genius choice he must be sculpted holding a thing puppet.
Still waiting for my FFF replacement , Don't go using my copy as a crash test dummy again :0

mtravis390 said...

Sigh.............
I don't think I will ever see the Beyonder confirmed.
But with the Puppet Master being made then my hopes are that maybe the Molecule Man might still make the collection.

I would think that a double pack with two regular figurines would be cheaper that the current to packs that came out. Professor X and Zabu is what I thought made the first doubles so pricey. I would think a Northstar/Aurora pack would be cheaper.

sergiogf said...

Great for both figurines but I miss an X-Men figurine¡

Omega Red looks cool¡ And i vote for more specials and Double packs, no problem for me¡

But we need x-men figurines¡
magik? forge?

Anonymous said...

Something like this would be great for Puppetmaster. It would fit more in the collect than the early art that the blog used for the announcement. Just replace the generic man with a Ben Grimm puppet and we're golden. Perfect pose even.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/77/197097-131205-puppet-master.jpg

John said...

I love the FF, so this is great news. Not really that big a fan of Puppet Master... was more hoping for Psycho Man. Or maybe, I guess, everyone has their favorites, but at least everyone agrees that Puppet Master is classic and deserves a spot.

I'm hoping that Shanna is the Frank Cho version. Just slightly 'larger' than she should be. Its about the only thing that makes her stand out to all the other jungle girl characters in comics.

This is obviously just me, but I'm glad we're not getting X-Men characters announced yet. Not that big a fan, yet they take up a HUGE portion of the collection.

If Northstar and Aurora are sold for the price of 2 regular figurines, I don't see how that could go wrong. If its a special and a regular, my vote is definitely for Sasquatch and Puck. I want Puck small (I thought Mole Man was too big) so pairing him with a larger character and maybe selling them for the price of 2 regulars (maybe slightly more) seems a sure thing. They always get so many votes on the boards.

The Hood said...

Excellent news this week, Puppet Master will make a great figurine as will Shanna.
Omega Red is lookig fantastic, and i'm very happy to hear that we're getting Ronan first, nothing against Omega Red I just prefer Ronan.
A 2 pack with a large and a small character is a great idea, hopefully one of the small characters will be Howard The Duck, the collection needs him.

Anonymous said...

The Frank Cho version of Shanna would make no sense. She doesn't have the history to fill a magazine. Besides, the 616 one isn't that shabby at all when it comes to looks. And also has taken to wearing a bikini rather than a one-piece. I'd rather have a version that matches up with Ka-Zar than a version from a non-canon comic.

Ryan Maxwell said...

Yea, Puppet Master!

I'm going to approach any form of twin packs just like I do with any single regular, special, or mega. If I like 'em, I'll buy 'em. I DEFINITELY want the Twins and Sasquatch/Puck and soon!

Robert said...

Thanks for another lengthy update, Rich. Really chuffed to hear Puppet Master is going to be made! More than happy with Ted and CBRBeast's suggested pose, too!

Zero interest in Shanna, sorry.

Don't know Omega Red from Adam, but he does get mentioned a lot so deserving of a slot. (Is it me or does he look like the love child of Sabretooth and the Constrictor?)

dlp-6 said...

Puppetmaster & Shanna - pretty good. Agree with the comments that Puppetmaster needs to be sculpted with puppets, would make a fantastic figure.

Whatever happens I would go for the whole collection, come too far now.....!! Just on that i believe i have all the varient paints as well, but a definitive list on what has been done in relation to this would be good...

keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Omega Red looks FANTASTIC! I can't wait 'til he comes out. Definetly one of the best yet, good job lads! :)

ikabodcrane said...

omega red is unbeliveble!!!!
fantastic Shanna!!

and please Mr.Richard:
1.OUTLAW
2.OWL
3.BARON BLOOD
4.WHIRLWIND
5.BLACK MAMBA
6.STINGRAY
7.MESMERO
8.GAMORA
9.HIGH EVOLUTIONNARY
10.ARACHNEE

John said...

Sorry. I was under the impression that the Frank Cho story WAS from the 616 world. I didn't read it. I just like the look for the character.

Someone on the boards brought up and great point about 2 packs! Wizard and Trapster, as separate figurines, sold together for the price of 2 figures. Wizard is my #1 want, and I definitely want a Trapster. Since they'd probably both have to wait as Puppet Master just got a FF slot, how about a nice 2-pack special? After the Alpha Flight twins and Puck with Sasquatch of course ;)

mighty_marvel said...

first off i think that two normal sized characters will sell far better as a double pack than a small and large character, especially so if those 2 characters are very inter-related and one without the other would just look strange. as is the case with northstar and aurora. if the price point is £11 (bit less than 2 singles due to 1 magazine being needed) then they'd fly off the shelves.

although, carefully selected packs of small/large characters would also do well, such as sasquatch and puck.

sorry but no interest at all in this weeks announced figures. a much better 'curveball' choice for me would have been sister grimm. only consolation is that it makes me very hopeful that some of the remaining heavyweights are being deliberately left for a further extension or two :)

jimbob said...

Omega Red looks good.

Can we have the Blob special preview please.

jimbob said...

We have already answered your question about a special and regular pack!


Sasquatch & Puck double pack please!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Woo-oo Puppet Master will be cool! And also Shanna it's a my favourite!

I still hope for Jigsaw, Howard the duck, Power pack and Lockjaw!

spidey_1979 said...

agree jimbob. how many times do we have to say that we all want northstar/aurora as a pack before the powers that be take notice. we've all been saying for weeks that we'd definitely buy the twins as a two pack

as well as

pyro/avalanche (there's still time)
wizard/trapster
ulysses/elsa bloodstone
hammerhead/tombstone
misty knight/colleen wing
mr hyde/cobra

and some large/small mixtures

sasquatch/puck
warpath/thunderbird
rocket raccoon/groot
ch'od/raza

Paul said...

Hey all,
great news this week - missed you last week :( Great choices on both Puppetmaster and Shanna and must agree with everyone about costume choice. The less the better for her character.

Addressing ther collection aspect and pricing. I have been collecting since I found these little gems last August and am already caught up at 130 figures, most Marvel. I am in Canada and have had to rely on Ebay for most of my older ones where price is everywhere. Although I usually get a good deal from my comic store I think pricing is an issue. I love the double pack idea but sometimes things are tough and I just can't do it. I say try Northstar and Aurora and maybe do a sculpt of Sasquatch and Puck like DC did the Atom recently. Just a thought.

Anyway sorry for the long windedness, keep up the good work.

navaho said...

What can I say....great news on the Puppetmaster, being a big FF fan I am over the moon. Please, please, please let him hold a Thing puppet, it will look awesome. Don't know a great deal about Shanna but the good thing about the magazines is you get some info on 'lesser' known characters, so I look forward to that. Omega Red like Ronan looks very dynamic and I don't care who comes first. With regards to the double-packs, why don't Eaglemoss organise a poll and let the bloggers vote for their favorite, then make them. Simpleskch (as a certain meerkat states!)

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I must say I receive the news about Puppetmaster and Shanna with utter indifference.
They're just not exciting characters.

They go through me like an ineffective punch would go through the Vision when he's in low-density state.

I hope they are turned into awesome figurines, though.

Anonymous said...

MULTIPACKS

Hey Richard, I'm glad you heard our plea and started to look into the feasibility of multipacks.

I don't know what market analysis method is used by Eaglemoss marketing researchers. But surely they must have seen the outcome of our poll, hugely in favour of multipacks. Vox populi is all that matters.

Perhaps I speak only for myself, but as the avid collector that I am, all I want is to own as many characters as possible in the quickest time possible. Multipacks provide the solution.

If someone does not like, say, the 3 main Young Avengers (Hulkling, Patriot and Wiccan), then surely they will not buy them - whether they come out individually over the course of 2 years or they come together in a £18 multipack.

On the other hand, Eaglemoss would have the opportunity to triple sales in one shot, and Young Avengers fans would get what they want - without having to wait until we're old as Aunt May!

BobDiamond said...

Hi Thor8,
Bob here.... I just got a message through on the last (Karnak)blog before Rich changed the up-date, so I don't know if you saw it...it refers to your latest pop quiz....(which I am enjoying by the way...please have a look..)
Anyway, interesting 'reveals' this week- I don't mind either of these two, both 'sturdy' members of the Great Marvel Universe. However, making the Puppet master look dynamic will be a challenge, so I agree he is going to need some recognisable 'puppets' dangling from his fingers.
Any thoughts on the 'Vehicles' idea guys? or am I totally adrift in terms of public opinion on that one??
ps, WHERE ARE YOU DEADPOOL???!!!???
BD

LAWay said...

Personally a double pack is just 2 characters I want. If I had the choice, I would choose NOT to have a big figure thrown in with a small one...it probably means I am getting some niche characters that I dont want.

I'd pay £10-£12 for a double pack no problem. I dont know the number of subscribers you have and how much longer the series can sustain, I hope its for a long time to come. Personally I have collected from spidey 1 and have every figure and magazine, but sadly I have been thinking of maybe quitting the subscription and just buying the odd figure. These characters are getting a little too niche with the paint quality not like it used to be, and if we are talking about what collectors are willing to pay, I just dont think I am willing to keep paying for these lesser characters, there's not much benefit being a subscriber apart from when I initially subscribed all those years ago.

At least drip feed us free gifts or something special. Like I said, I love the collection, I love the figures, I love the magazines, but I think we need a clean slate. I also collect action figures but dont buy the niche characters there, but will buy multiple figures on the same character, different sculpt/costume/paint job etc. I would love to see the collection go in that direction. Marvel Legends seemed to die a death because it ran out of new characters that people cared about, and I worry for this collection and dont want to see it happen.

Sorry, this wasnt meant to turn into a rant. lol Looking forward to the new figures and Omega Red looks pretty sweet, but as a long time subscriber just had to get my feelings out there.

Thor8 said...

Not too exited about this week's picks,although I totally agree that Puppet Master is a true classic and Shanna will go great with Kazar and Zabu. As many have said,I too believe Master's should be made with FF puppets (The Thing in one hand and the others placed at his feet maybe?)

Multi-packs doesn't have to be an on going thing,just make them when it is truly necessary like The Warriors Three and The wrecking Crew. I believe two regular size figurines would sell nicely if you choose the correct characters.

Bob I did read your last post and no,not even close.(sorry,try again)

Mad Thinker #3 is Captain Atlas.

Next post I hope we see a couple of sneak peaks,an Avengers for the extension and an asgardian special.

BobDiamond said...

OK Thor8,
I'll have one more go at your quiz....I had this thought that it could well be THOR again, based on the answer to the last question (and your obvious association with the character!).
Maybe he was giving his old mate a bit of pally advice on style...I'll go for issue 1 of The Avengers this time.
...If that's not right then I have a theory that it could well have been Howard the Duck during a secret, clandestine meeting with The Sons of The Tiger while joy-riding in the Spidermobile, discussing the possibilities of the formation of a new Super team headed by The Forbush Man and drawn by the Great Gene Colan.... ( Marvel Lesser Known Classics issue 13)...
...am I right?
BD

Anonymous said...

rich you have just made me one of the most happiest men in the world with this update.
not only have you announced 2 of my long awaited and wanted characters , but you have answered some of my questions too.
i am also glad to see a preview figurine this week too.
keep up the excellent work richie boy
thank you so much !!

Robert said...

Not sure of the exact who or when of Iron Man's original armour changing from grey to gold, but when retelling his origin Stark always used to say his reason was that the original was too frightening and not at all heroic, hence the new colour. He does not mention anyone giving him the idea. How much that was ret-coning I don't know.

On the subject of Iron Man trivia, I came across a weird duologue on page 20 of issue 244 (July 1989). Tony Stark is in hospital after been shot in the back by a jilted ex-girlfriend called Kathy Dare. He meets a patient in an iron lung.
Patient: Say, buddy! Change the channel for me, will ya? Remote's on the headboard."
Patient: "Life's tough enough without having to stomach that Downey character, y'know?"

Deadpool said...

OMG this is turning into one of those "Gentleman's Clubs" with the number of scantily clad girlies that have appeared recently.

Richard... I like your style.

Shanna is a great choice - and reluctantly I concede that I agree with Beast that she should be in her bikini.

Hi Bob, this is a fleeting visit ... I have a few lanterns to light so I need to keep this brief.

Regarding multi packs.....
Richard, once again I must doff my hat to you ... a special and regular in the same box is genius (my kinda genius), nice to see that you are listening.

Hi all and bye all ... I am going out .... and may be some time. ;{

Anonymous said...

roll on the multi packs , we all want them !!

jimbob said...

If EM are thinking about multipacks.

Then the first logical multipack i would like is-

Auora & Northstar,Puck and Shaman

This would be a brilliant way to almost completeing Alpha Flight.

Kal Brindle said...

Hey Rich,

Thanks for an eventful Friday! Two more inspired choices for the collection - both classic characters with loads of history. Their magazines should be really good reads.

Omega Red looks great - thanks for sharing the pics with us. While he's not one of my favourite characters your sculpting team certainly did him justice.

Thanks also for sharing some more insight into the two pack issue. I have to admit, that I don't understand the reasoning you use to not warrant two regular figures like the Beaubier twins, Darkstar & Vanguard or the Wrecking Crew. As long as popular characters are chosen and the price is even slightly less than the cost of two regular figures people will but them. I know I will. If the characters have pre-existing relationships, the shared magazine is going to make sense. One magazine is going to be cheaper than two - passing that saving along alone should be enough of an incentive to make them viable.

I'm sure there's more to it than I know and I trust that your Marketing Department is making informed decisions, but I would ask that you trust us, the collectors to keep the fires burning. I'll collect this series long as it runs. It is quite simply the best product of it's kind. Price point, quality and the extensiveness of the collection are a dream come true for this Marvel fan. As long as IKEA keeps making shelving units I can but to display the collection, I will continue to collect it.

I sincerely hope you can convince them to give it a try - choosing badly wanted characters like Aurora & Northstar or Puck & Sasquatch will guarantee decent sales.

Thanks again for keeping us in the loop and for the wonderful sneak peeks and other bonuses you share on the forum and on the blog.

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

my favourite multipack has to be tescos 4 x 440ml dutch lager for £3.23
looking at Omega fred there is something not quite right, He looks a tad top heavy. His arms seem twice the thickness of his thighs?
Also from the front it looks like he's been attacked with a bowel disruptor

LAWay said...

Dammit Ted, I cant get that out my head now when I look at Omega Red lol

I do agree though, and while most people want dynamic poses, that front view of the figure looks odd and kinda ugly, the pose just doesnt look right. The side view makes a great silhouette, but the front view not so much.

I know I am in a minority here, but I like my figures not dynamic. I want a cool line up of figures that are height related standing next to each other. Not only do these poses mess up scale, but also placing them on shelves. You could not put Omega Red anywhere but the front of the figurine stand, and depending on how close your close cabinet is, he may not even fit.

I like displaying the characters side in rows connecting their bases, but with some because of their poses make it impossible to neatly organize them.

Again, I know I am in the minority, but the better figures are the ones that are plainly standing.

pirate adam said...

i agree with LA Way

jimbob said...

I thought Omega Red is suposed to be a bit top heavy anyways.

I've realised that if he is crouching forward this means that he is going to lose a bit of his height(similar to Juggernaut special).Which might be a bit dissapointing:(

I agree also that i am sick and tired of messed up scale in the collection.

I dont want to spend more money to get fig scale re-done by customizers.

If customizers can get the scale right then i dont see why EM can do it?

navaho said...

LA Way and Pirate Adam, whilst I can see your point regarding the poses, I have to say I am more in favour of the characters displaying a little chracter and 'dynamism'. Spiderman looks so unlike Spideman due to his sedate pose and what can I say about the Hulk....he is supposed to be the strongest one there is,trapped within a raging mental mealstrom and he looks like a doorman at the local Ritzy! I except that you have to keep the newer figurines in line with the older ones but lets try and capture their essential character. ps I am so sad I still keep the models on the black Marvel plinth, is anyone still doing that?

Robert said...

Anyone know who drew the images of Puppet Master and Shanna? PM looks very John Byrne, especially his right arm, but I'm not completely convinced it was him. No idea who drew Shanna, but it's very good. Just curious...

Anonymous said...

DYNAMIC POSES

Personally I'm very happy with figurines in dynamic poses, and I'm glad that an increasing number of sculpts are capturing the essence of the character in a distinctive pose.

The objective should be to create the best possible representation of the character's personality, gestuality and powers within the confines of a £5.99 figurine. I think Eaglemoss are achieving this, which is a spectacular feat, and I'd like to think this is the way forward.

The poses don't have to be over the top, but some dynamism always adds to the figurine's awesomeness.
After all, this a collection of Marvel superhero figurines, not chess pieces!

BobDiamond said...

Rob,
The Puppet Master is definitely John Byrne...can't be anyone else. As for Shanna, I think it's Mark Bagley- who used to draw the 'classic' Thunderbolts a while ago.
BD

John said...

I'm not sure. I want to see the sculpt capturing the character's essence, but the majority of the collection is all standing upright, I'd prefer to see a continuation of that.

Ideally, Spidey would be crouched with his knees up high... looking completely out of place in the collection. I think, since he can't be posed 'spidery', using his pose to express his responsibility was a nice touch.

To me, bottom line, if a pose is pushed too far in a specific direction, you may not get something you want for a character. A more stoic pose is just safer. The DC side pushes it further and.. idk, I think bane looks kind of out of place holding the cowl like that. I love the figure and the character, but I kind of wish he were just raising a fist or something.

max_0888 said...

Great job on Omega red :) He's gonna look awesome beside the other x-villain specials Juggernaut, Apocalypse and probably Blob

I think Puppet master and Shanna are two awesome curveball character! Like Balder and Destiny last extansion it's fun to get character like these. I think it will make the collection last longer.

Id really love Mojo in the collection. With Spiral in, it would be weird not to get Mojo and Longshot at some point. MODOK and Mojo will make two great challenges for EM's sculptors.

BobDiamond said...

Here's a bit of fun you can all have a go at...
The idea is that you have to fill up a display plinth with 10 characters only (no more, no less!) and it has to be themed around ONE central character. Heroes, villains and even civilians are allowed....
Example: Captain America.
Set would include:-
1.Cap America (obviously)
2.Winter Soldier
3.Red Skull
4.Agent 13-Sharon Carter
5.Batroc
6.Nomad
7.Nick Fury
8.Cross Bones
9.Falcon
10.Arnim Zola
Obviously, that's just my choice for Cap's 'gang'...It would be interesting to see differences of opinion, and it's quite difficult just keeping to 10!
I'd love to see other bloggers 'Perfect 10' lists, esp. from the Norse Contingent! Other interesting groupings would be based around Dr. Strange, Iron Man, Dr.Doom...actually,just about anyone really..
Have a go, it's Fun!
All the best everyone,
BD

Robert said...

Thanks for the feedback, Bob. Glad to hear you think PM is Byrne as it was my initial impression (and then I started to doubt myself). And Sheena does look like Bagley's work now that you mention it. I was looking and looking and looking and I just couldn't place the artist at all.

As for your game...Captain America Ten: Cap, Bucky, Falcon, Nick Fury, Red Skull, USAgent/ the Captain (Surprised he didn't feature in your list, BD), Crossbones, Agent 13, Batroc and a Hydra agent.

pirate adam said...

Ok Bob i'll give you my Norse 10

1. Odin
2. Thor
3. Balder
4. Heimdall
5. Beta Ray Bill
6. Loki
7. Hela
8. Sif
9. Surtur
10. Ymir

that was easy i could have carried on to 20 LOL

Max, i dont really see Balder as a curveball, he has 100's of appearances and is a major player in the Marvel Uni at the moment.

PA

Anonymous said...

I also collect DC figurines. They're awesome. Does anyone enjoy forming DC/Marvel crossover teams?
It's awesome to see them together.
One of my favourite teams includes Green Lantern, Silver Surfer, Martian Manhunter, Nightcrawler, Beast Boy, Sentry and Red Tornado.

Thor8 said...

To Bob and Rob: The answer to the Iron Man mind teaser is Tales of Suspense #40 (Shellhead's 2nd appearance) He was on a date with a blond called Marion when Iron Man was needed. He saved the day but noticed people were kinda scared or intimidated by the sight of his armor so Marion commented to Tony that I.M. should probably paint it gold so he would look more like the "shiny" knights of old.

On the topic of poses I kinda agree with LAWay PA and John. Maybe a little dynamic posing would be alright as long as it's not over done and we turn this collection into one of stiff action figures.

Thor8 said...

Bob here's my top 10 Norse group;

1 Thor
2 Balder
3 Odin
4 Loki
5 Sif
6 Hogun
7 Fandral
8 Volstagg
9 Hela
10 Destroyer

PA: I think you'd have one heck of a problem trying to fit Surtur and Ymir on the plinth.

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

My perfect plinthful Iron Man gold armour special size surrounded by the controller,Blizzard, Firebrand, War Machine, whiplash, Princess Python,Crimso Dynamo, Titanium Man and The Black Lama

Robert said...

Thor8, thanks for the information on the gold armour; I thought it was about then. It just demonstrates typical Stark arrogance, though, that in his retelling of the stories he takes credit for the colour change himself. I'm rereading my original Iron Mans, starting from 1972, and I've now reached late 1989 and on the few occasions he's mentioned the colour change he has never even hinted that the idea was someone else's. In fact he makes it all sound his idea.

Post-Civil War I'm reading these comics with a different slant and it's hard not to see Stark's outrageous arrogance and misogyny for what it is. He has exploited a number of people - not just women in general but Rhodey, Pepper, Happy - and they have all suffered or even died because of their loyalty to him. Often his solution to a problem is to throw money at it and he also uses money in a really crass and selfish way. (For example, he hired the entire Disneyworld Park in Florida so he could have lunch in peace with another beautiful woman and we saw a young child being disappointed as he read the "Not Open today" sign on the gate. Of course he gave no thought to the impact it might have on others.) And he rationalises his behaviour to excuse immoral and illegal acts (probably best exemplified by his electrocution of Steve Rogers during the Armor Wars but I have loads of other examples, including national and international trespassing).

Yep, he's smart and well-meaning but boy does he do a lot of things that are at best questionable.

pirate adam said...

thor8 old buddy, i realise Ymir and Surtur would be in the Mega status which is exactly why i picked them, i was going for a mixture of sizes to make it more interesting, you might have trouble getting Hogun and Fandral on the plinth next to Volstagg LOL

PA

max_0888 said...

Hey pirate_adam, I know what you mean, Balder is most important and clearly deserves a spot in the collection, what I meant is, nobody saw it coming (which is fun) and I don't think he was made in any other collection before. Same for Destiny. That's why I mentionned both. So I just can't wait to get both of them :)

jimbob said...

Bring on more Asgardians please EM!

mighty_marvel said...

i'd like to see some new groups started in this extension. main 2 i'd like to have are

guardians of the galaxy started with vance astro or starhawk

and

runaways started with nico minoru or karolina dean

what other new groups are people hoping for?

jimbob said...

Im against starting anymore teams in the next extension.

Cannonball has already started New Mutants.

It would be nice to complete a few more teams in the collection before moving on to more teams.

Alpha Flight - Just two members so far.

Asgardians - Need more

Brotherhood - Avalanche to complete Mystiques Brotherhood.

Excalibur - Why has EM neglected some of the British characters?

Thunderbolts - Just 2 or 3 original members left.

Wrecking Crew - Only just started on Wrecker.

X-Force - Warpath Domino!

BobDiamond said...

Excellent response guys,
Looking forward to lists from Mad Thinker, Deadpool, Hel, SinisterVenom, CBR Beast, The Hood and anyone else who wants to have a go!(you know you want to!)
Right, now try a B or C lister(this is where it gets interesting, and quite obscure!)
My first choice- the greatest co-star of them all...Nick Fury!!!
1.Fury
2.Dum Dum Dugan
3.Baron Strucker
4.Contessa Valentina de Fontaine
5.Madame Hydra/Viper
6.Cap America
7.Black Widow
8.MODOK
9.Scorpio
10.Hate Monger
That got a little tricky towards the end... anyway,got to go..
BD

pirate adam said...

ok Max, now i get what you meant and agree that not many people would have expected Balder, i personally thought we would have got Sif first but hey ho lets hope she makes this extension

Anonymous said...

bob diamond's game :

iron man based.

iron man
war machine
scarlet witch
hawkeye
aracne
century

mandarin
modok
fing fang foom
whirlwind
blizzard
blacklash
hypnotia
dreadknight
grey gargoyle
the living laser

16 characters but still ......... ?

mighty marvel :

i'd like to see-

young avengers

hulkling
wiccan
kate bishop
iron lad
patriot
stature

serpent society

king cobra
rattler
diamond back
asp
black mamba
black racer
coachwhip

winter guard

red guardian
vanguard
titanium man
dark star
ursa major
perun

guardians of the galaxy

yondu
starhawk
arleta
vance astro

squadron sinister

doctor spectrum
hyperion
speed demon

John said...

Alpha Flight: :)

Guardian
Vindicator
Sasquatch
Puck
Northstar
Aurora
Snowbird
Shaman
Major Mapleleaf
Centennial

Goth Prince said...

Wow 2 curve ball choices! Puppet Master is a nice little pick brings back fun memories of readiing him. Shanna is a bit more meh but hey im sure others will love her.

Omega Red just blew my socks off! Can I assume that the specials for 2010 are now....

Fin Fang Foom
Cloak & Dagger
Blob
Ronan
Omega Red

Thats a very good specials line up.

I would like to hear about an x-men character been announced for next week. Particuarly a female allies character as that catagory is one of the strongest left. Next week I really hope to read one of the following women as confirmed:

Magik, Domino, Mirage, Sage or Wolfsbane.

Thor8 said...

I'd like to see some teams of the MU inclueded in this extension that have been neglected so far in this collection such as;

Guardians of The Galaxy
Soviets Super Soldiers
Zodiac(original)

and some more "classic" villians such as:

Diablo
Princess Pynthom
Titanium Man
Mr.Hyde
Cobra
Attuma
Mastermind
The Stranger
The High Evolutionary
Tarantula
Molten Man
The Jackal
Mangog
Destroyer
Man Ape
Living Laser

and many others Icould mention.

Next inclusion for the list I'd like to see would be;

Stingray
Arachne
Mockingbird
Starfox
White Tiger

BobDiamond said...

Two more 'Perfect 10's', this time with 2 more Captains....
Cap Marvel collection:
1.Cap Marvel(Mar-vell)
2.Genis
3.Martyr
4.Drax the Destroyer
5.Mentor
6.Thanos
7.StarFox
8.Ms. Marvel
9.Rick Jones
10.Supreme Intelligence

Cap Britain Collection
1.Cap Britain
2.LionHeart
3.Black Knight
4.Merlin
5.Roma
6.Meggan
7.Pete Wisdom
8.The Fury
9.Union Jack
10.Albion

I know it's a bit obsessive, but it's a laugh putting them together!
Someone should try Ghost Rider, Magneto or maybe Sub-Mariner lists- there would be some interesting connections....
BD

spidey_1979 said...

another omitted team thus far

starjammers

corsair
hepzibah
raza
ch'od

would like them all in somehow. a regular, a double and a special would do it nicely.

would like a couple of runaways also. agree with mighty marvel that nico and karolina would make the best figs. the others would be ok a lot further down the line or as a double pack (would only really want molly and chase from the rest)

SinisterVenom said...

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while I've come back from a short break, and what a nice update to come back to!
Omega Red looks AMAZING! It's too bad he's gonna be after Ronan but as long as we get him, I'm fine with that and Ronan is still a good choice anyway so smiles all round!
I'm quite pleased with Puppet Master, though Shanna doesn't quite get me as hyped but I suppose she'll look good next to Ka-Zar and Zabu.
Picked up Jubilee yesterday, looks fab! Still waiting for Fin Fang Foom to arrive, hope it won't be too long now. And Rich, you know deep down the Northstar and Aurora double pack will be a good idea, it's what everyone wants! Trust me, go for it and you won't regret it!
That said, I look forward to the next update, hopefully an X character this time (Avalanche please to complete the Brotherhood lol). And speaking of X characters before I forget, will we be getting Blob before Ronan or after Omega Red?

jimbob said...

Whats happening with BLOB?

I do recall that Rich said he will be coming out end of the year?

But after C&D failure realese last year,i would like stronger confrimation off Rich.

And please Avalanche to complete the Brotherhood.Get it over and done with.

It will all kick off if we dont get BLOB this year;)

Mr J said...

I have a question for Richard and its regarding the fairly popular character WARPATH.

There always seems to be a sense of confusion based on which catagory WARPATH should be classed in. Would he be a regular sized figure or a regular special? WARPATH is listed as been 7'2 so he is on record as been taller than Omega Red who will be a regular special.

So Richard during the next polling to save fans from wasting a vote is WARPATH eligible for a regular figure or is he in the regular special catagory? If this could be answered fans will know and they can support and campaign for WARPATH to be a regular special for some time in 2011.

Thanks.

John said...

Let me try a top ten on my most wanted team. In order:

Jimmy Woo
M-11
The Uranian
Venus
Namorita
Gorilla Man (special)
Yellowclaw

Well, its only 7, but those are the only ones that really deserve a spot. Mr. Lao would make a cool figurine, but doesn't have the history or is worth the price like Foom is.

Bullseye81 said...

Hello fellow bloggers, i've followed this blog since the days of Smiffy, but never decided to post before (Bob you must have inspired me..lol). I've collected comics since the early 80's, even though i collect a wide range of Marvel titles i still consider myself a Spidey fan first.

Anyways, i want to thank Rich and the gang at EM for bringing us the greatest collection of its kind, and a very special thank you for doing your best to try and represent all facets of the MU. I know it's quite the task, and i think you guys have done a marvelous job.

jimbob said...

WARPATH

If he is in the regular line up,would it be possible to make him a as big as possible?

He should be taller than Doc Samson figurine.

It seems that the DC collection has already done this with Braniac.

Braniac looks like a special size fig in a regular line up.There are pics of him on the forum-Hard Facts - DC Spoilers.

Thank you.

Bullseye81 said...

Here's my go at Bob's game
Daredevil
Bullseye
Kingpin
Elektra
Gladiator
Owl
Typhoid Mary
Black Widow
Hand Ninja
Stick

Hawkeye said...

How about this lot?

Living Mummy
Dracula
Lilith
Morbius
Werewolf by Night
Frankenstein's Monster
Gabriel the Devil Hunter
Brother Voodoo
Simon Garth - Zombie
Calypso

Scare the bejeesus out of anyone, that lot would! :)

BobDiamond said...

Greetings on this wet Tuesday!

Some excellent 'Perfect 10s' from Bullseye81- welcome aboard by the way!, Hawkeye (some kind of Dark Reign/ Avenger thing going on there...), John, and the Mad Thinker himself (dispite going totally over the top with 16 characters!)
I've given a lot of thought to this, and I know many of you are quite literally on the edge of your seats waiting....so without further ado I give you the long awaited.....
SONS OF THE TIGER TOP TEN!!! (yaa, woo etc.)
1.Bob Diamond (of Course)
2.Abe Brown
3.Lin Sun
4.Lotus(she caused the luuve-triangle that broke them up, boo, hiss etc.)
5.The White Tiger (orig.)
6.(new) White Tiger
7. BlackByrd (cool detective friend)
8.Jack of Hearts (no, really- he started off in the SOTT feature in Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu!)
9.The Prowler (believe it or not, he is Abe Brown's nephew- see how it all connects...Oi! Wake up back there!)
10. Iron Fist (Bob's sparring partner in orig. Heroes for Hire- yes he was!)

Well, that was exciting I hear you all say!....
What do you mean 'Shut the **** up about the ******* Sons Of The ******* Tiger, Bob!!!'???
There's just no pleasing some people.....
Have Fun!
BD

mighty_marvel said...

my go at BD's 10 game

1) cloak
2) dagger
3) spiderman
4) silvermane
5) iron patriot
6) emma frost
7) nico minoru
8) karolina dean
9) d'spayre
10) captain america

Robert said...

Welcome to Bullseye81!

Classic (original) Captain Britain Perfect Ten:

Captain Britain, with quarterstaff of course!; Merlin; Captain America; Red Skull; Nick Fury; Hurricane; Mastermind; Dr. Synne; Lord Hawk; the Reaver.

jimbob said...

Special poll update.

Sasquatch 73
Omega Red 65
Ronan The Accuser 50
Lockjaw 49
Sauron 40
Odin 39
Mojo 38
Strong Guy 33
MODOK 32

Look how far ahead SASQUATCH is.

If we dont get Auroa & Northstar double pack confirmed for this year,then surley Sasquatch deserves his place instead of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BobDiamond said...

Ahh Rob,
Those were the days... 'Captain Britain Weekly' delivered to the door with your parents 'Radio Times', endless summers, orange squash...and jumpers for goal posts......the glory days of yore, where did they go?
A misty-eyed farewell from
BD
PS. Mighty Marvel, excellent and very eclectic list there....but you lost me on the theme!
All the Best,
BD

Robert said...

Late night nostalgia, never a good idea... ach, Bob, you struck a cord tonight. You forgot the most important part of those days: being able to go see your grandparents and excitedly tell them how Spider-Man escaped from the latest death-trap...

BobDiamond said...

Now that is weird Rob, because it was my wonderful old Gran that got me hooked on this amazing and crazy hobby in the first place!... Back in 1973 (I think..)she gave me my first Marvel comic- 'Mighty World of Marvel'no.87(?)....The good old British reprints!
I was totally blown away by the excellent cover and main story- Hulk vs. The Absorbing Man (still one of the greatest fight scenes ever!) and facinated by how different the comic was to the other British comics at the time (Victor etc.)
I'd seen these heroes before, but only on TV in Australia as a 5Yr.old, watching The Marvel Heroes cartoon, so it was truely amazing to see a comic with them all in...after that I was totally hooked, and there's been no looking back since !(well, occasionally...)
What started you off on this mad hobby Rob?
and what about the rest of you guys and girls out there??
see ya,
BD

mighty_marvel said...

BD: cloak and dagger theme

1) cloak
2) dagger
3) spiderman (first appearances)
4) silvermane (responsible for developing drug that activated their powers)
5) iron patriot (made them to join dark x-men)
6) emma frost (convinced them to join x-men)
7) nico minoru (just because i like the c + d guest ppearances in runaways)
8) karolina dean (as above. and basically any excuse to include the runaways in a list)
9) d'spayre (cloak acquired his dark form)
10) captain america (on his side in civil war)

BobDiamond said...

Mighty Marvel,
I take my hat off to you sir!..that is a brilliant and clever 'Perfect 10'...and I also feel I learnt something too. (always a good thing!)
Good night everyone,
BD

Robert said...

What started me reading comics, Bob? Well, I was already a huge Tarzan fan... then Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade started showing Spider-Man's 1967 cartoon series. That was autumn '75, I think. At least that's when I became aware of it. By early 1976 I was a Marvel maniac...

I wonder how many others on here trace their Marvel obsession back to the Glen Michael...?

Thor8 said...

Bob I was going to surprise you with a martial art top ten but you beat me to it,so I'll go with a "really classic" golden age top ten.
And they are(drum roll please)...

1) Captain America(Original shield)
2 Sub-Mariner(green swim trunks)
3) Original Human Torch
4) Bucky
5) Toro
6) Spitfire
7) Union Jack
8) Angel (original)
9) Destroyer (original)
10)The Vision (original)

Golden age top ten #2......

1) Thin Man
2) Blue Diamond
3) Red Raven
4) Whizzer
5) Miss America
6) Jack Frost
7) The Patriot
8) Blazing Skull
9) The Fin
10)Namora

Welcome aboard Bullseye81

BobDiamond said...

Two excellent lists there Thor8! I wish each and everyone of them could be made into a Figure.
It's kind strange Rob, that in both our cases it was the TV cartoons that gave us our initial inspiration (and those were extremely basic cartoons, even for those days!!). I remember a while ago that Mad Thinker also cited the cartoons as his inspiration (although at least a generation after our experience)- we're not all that different after all I guess!
Now I'm going to go off and ponder obsessively about a Black Knight '10'.....
BD

Joeking said...

Shadowcat is one of my favs so here goes

1 Shadowcat
2 Wolverine
3 Colossus
4 Magik
5 Cypher
6 Nightcrawler
7 Meggan
8 Captain Britain
9 Pete Wisdom
10 Ogun

Bullseye81 said...

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I guess it was my mom who started me reading comics, at the time i didn't like the kind of books we had to read in school, so she bought me an Amazing Spider-man comic (sorry don't remember exactly which issue) and a love was born.

2 great confirmed characters this week, Puppet Master should look cool (especially if he's done holding a Thing puppet with the rest of the FF at the base, thank you to Thor8 for the suggestion in an earlier post) and Shanna will look stunning next to Ka-Zar. Shanna in the one piece please!!!Just kidding...lol...bikini all the way!

and now what you've been waiting for, (insert drumroll) my next list of 10
Citizen V (Could use Baron Zemo)
Songbird
Mach IV (Could use Beetle)
Meteorite/Moonstone
Atlas
Techno/Fixer
Jolt
Charcoal
Hawkeye
Ogre

and

Spider-Girl
Black Tarrantula
Kaine
Hobgoblin
Carnage
Spider-Man
Mary Jane
Green Goblin
Venom
Kingpin

BobDiamond said...

More excellent lists there from JoeKing (brilliant connections) and Bullseye81 (the classic and best period of The Thunderbolts in my opinion..)
Now, as promised, one of my all time favourate's Top Ten....... The Black Knight!

1.Black Knight
2.Orig. Masters of Evil BK
3.Golden Age, medieval BK
4.Cap Britain
5.BloodWaith
6.Sersi
7.Proctor
8.Merlin
9.Enchantress
10.Excalibur (from MI 13)

Oh, and Thor8, I would still love to see your Martial Arts top 10!
BD

pirate adam said...

ok guess the connection here:

Howard the Duck
Rocket Racoon
JJJ
Mary Jane
Thunderbolt Ross
Rick Jones
Betty Ross
Aunt May
Jarvis
Pepper Potts

theres a big prize for anybody who gets it right. (ok there no prize really)

PA

Bullseye81 said...

I'm guessing Pirate adam's list of figs is all figs he doesn't wanna see get made...lol...sorry no offence meant if i am wrong.

Joeking said...

One of my other faves is Dazzler

1 Dazzler
2 Psylocke
3 Longshot
4 Nocturne
5 Sage
6 Enchantress
7 Phoenix
8 Juggernaut
9 Beast
10 Lila Cheney

The Hood said...

My 10 for BobDiamonds game, The Defenders

1 Dr Strange
2 Namor
3 The Hulk
4 Silver Surfer
5 Valkyrie
6 Nighthawk
7 Hellcat
8 Gargoyle
9 Son Of Satan
10 Moondragon

pirate adam said...

Bullseye81 WINS!!

sorry couldn't resist, i actualy wouldn't mind JJJ and Thunderbolt being made just not yet (200+)

PA

Anonymous said...

here's another :

corsair
raza longknife
ch'od
hepzibah
lilandra
d'ken
deathbird
erik the red
phoenix
vulcan

and these as a connection :

gladiator
astra
flashfire
hussar
manta
oracle
starbolt
titan
neutron
smasher

BobDiamond said...

Good call there Mad Thinker, especially that first list!
Now Pirate Adam there has 'inspired' me to create the much needed...Howard the Duck 'Perfect 10'!!
1.Howard
2.Beverley Switzler
3.Man-Thing
4.Dr.Bong
5.Dakimh
6.Korrak the Barbarian
7.Jennifer Kale
8.Hell Cow
9.Kidney Lady
10.Spiderman
....it had to be done...
BD

Robert said...

Civilians Perfect Top Ten (PA, look away now!):
1. JJJ
2. Rick Jones
3. "Thunderbolt" Ross
4. Jarvis
5. Wong
6. Gwen Stacy
7. Peter Parker
8. Tony Stark
9. Dr. Donald Blake
10. Robert Bruce Banner

Classic Version Top Ten:
1. Tuska-era red-'n'-gold Iron Man
2. Original Captain Britain (Cap'n B. #1)
3. Furry Beast (c. Perez's first run on the Assemblers)
4. Original Kree green uniform Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)
5. Starlin Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell again)
6. Doctor Octopus
7. Mr. Fixit
8. Silver Centurion Shellhead
9. Iron Man armour from IM #200
10. (Johnny Blaze) Ghost Rider

max_0888 said...

I couldn't go by and not do a Siryn one ;) , so here goes SiryN,s 10 list:
1- Siryn
2- Madrox
3- Banshee
4- Deadpool
5- Warpath
6- Monet St-Croix
7- Black Tom Cassidy
8- Juggernaut
9- Cable
10- Spider-woman (Jessica Drew) Siryn's first appearance

BobDiamond said...

Guys, these lists are becoming truely inspired and off-the-wall! (Brilliant 'Classic versions' Rob)
Here's my Top 10 of...
'Licenced Characters We Would love To See But Are Not Owned By Marvel Anymore'
1.Conan
2.Red Sonja
3.King Kull
4.Solomoon Kane
5.Fu Man-Chu
6.Tarzan
7.John Carter of Mars
8.Thongor
9.Rom
10.Godzilla(!)

(Micronauts and Shogun Warriors came to mind, but I ran out of space!)

PS. loved the Siryn one Max!
BD

Robert said...

Ah, the Micronauts. Great comic in the early days with Miller-like Golden art. Loved the fight with the lawnmower and the issue with the Man-Think.

Feel free to add to the classic ten list, Bob!

P.S. Been looking for updates on the Thor movie and came across a link to a French report on Iron Man 2. There's a short clip showing Scarlet Johannson (spelling?) as the Black Widow in a black basque that nearly made my eyeballs fall out. Ay carumba!

pirate adam said...

BOB i am very very very sorry that i inspired you to create a Howard the Duck top 10 it was very unintentional on my part :( hehe

i would also like to appologise to anybody else who may have been offended by Bobs said list and i will try to not inspire any of you fine chaps and chapettes to mention the Duck in the future.

your apologetically,

PA ;)

SinisterVenom said...

Wow guys, what would you all do if the Duck himself was announced to be in the extension tomorrow? Lol.

Anonymous said...

wild west list :

rawhide kid
kid colt
outlaw kid
two gun kid
apache kid
kid cassidy
outlaw
phantom rider
reno jones
red wolf

Robert said...

Just back from the cinema after watching "Kick-Ass".

As my pal, a big Garth Ennis Punisher fan, said: "You really can't have enough 11-year-old girls stabbing gangsters in the head while listening to the Banana Splits theme song."

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Ok what's the link between this lot and as not to insult your combined supreme intelligence who is the odd one oot?
Klaw
Lizard
grimreaper
cable
winter soldier
bushwacker
misty knight
lady deathstrike
razor fist.
Loved your lost liscenses list bob .the only way i will get my sci-fi/fantasy/barbarian type fix is if we see Killraven even if they go with the mankini look i'll be happy.
P.S
my quiz may be as flawed as i am

Robert said...

Let me take a guess, Ted. I believe that all but one of the characters you named are cyborgs to some degree, in that they have replacement limbs - mostly hand/s and/or arm/s - that are bionic or metal. Klaw is composed of sound, but he still has a metal sound projector in place of a hand.

Lizard has also lost a limb, although in Curt Connors' case the limb is only replaced when he transforms into the Lizard.

Basically, they have all had replacement body parts but Lizard's is the only limb replacement that is living tissue rather than artifical.

BobDiamond said...

...Or is it Bushwacker, because he's a mutant, and therefore hasn't actually lost any limbs, they just turn into weapons of his choice?
Excellent list Ted!
And now it's back to the 80's thrill-seekers with the........ NEW UNIVERSE Top 10!!!
1.Star Brand
2.Mercedes?, Merc, ..Audi or something.
3.Bloke who looks a bit like a Hawk God.
4.Spitfire
5.Hurricane?
6.Ummm...uh
7.ah....no...
8.Guy with mask..something to do with dreams..
9.wellll..nope, it's gone.
10. Did I mention Star Brand??

(Huge apoligies to any genuine new Universe fan out there!)
Next up, for Pirate Adam exclusively... a Rocket Raccoon Top 10!!!(just kidding..)
All the Best,
BD

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Robert you are of course spot on . It was a feeble challenge for a marvel scholar :)

Robert said...

I was under the impression Bushwacker had cybernetic arms, Bob... then again, what the hey do I know about mutants and X-Men...?

I'm probably wrong but I can't come up with a better theory than it's to do with replacement body parts (arm or hands specifically). As far as I know, only the Lizard replaces the lost limb from living tissue (during the change from Curt Connors to the Lizard) and the regeneration is temporary rather than permanent (or semi-permanent) attachments.

Robert said...

Thanks for the challenge, Ted. I have watched "Have I Got News for You" since it started and I have never once managed to solve the odd one out round. So, it's a relief to know that I'm not completely stupid.

I'll try and return the favour and think up an odd one out question tonight.

Robert said...

Ted, since you like Killraven, what does he have in common with Doctor Doom and Deathlok?

(This is probably waaaaaay too easy but it's the best I could come up with!)

The Hood said...

Just want to thank BobDiamond for his Howard The Duck top 10, its excellent.

We need the duck in this collection.

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Robert i hate the so called easy questions . If you mess up it's like blowing the first question on " Who wants to be a millionaire" :)
I am honestly grasping at straws here but the only possible connection i can think of would involve a time travel tale involving Doc Dooms time travel machine and our web crawler having marvel team up adventures with Killy and Deathy?
If i am wrong , i can only hang my head in shame

Robert said...

Bingo, Ted! No head-hanging required! I had total confidence that you would recognise the story! :)

It was a pretty lame question in comparison to your own but I always loved the old MTU. As a kid it was the only US comic I could get with any regularity and that time travel story started with issue #41 or #42 and was only the second American comic I ever bought. It was a cracking story, with random episodes. And the art... ah, Sal Buscema, I love you...

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

I love sal too , god i wish i could have been john buscemas little bro . i mean what a teacher:)
Was just wondering would it be possible to fill a plinth ( that's 10 slots to non plinth fans )
with just one single charachter ?
for example i can think of maybe 5 or 6 versions of spidey
Original
Black suit
Armoured spidey
Tony stark sponsored godawful looking spidey
the suit when he went all cosmic.
If someone can come up with 10 versions of the same character i will be right royally impressed... heck i am not even sure if it's possible

Jacadoo said...

Shanna The She-Devil now thats a good use of lead, I just hope that the sculpter manages to make her just a little more savage.

Omega Red looks superb and will be a fine addition.

Now firmly in our new home so back to supporting the blog - now some home work to get back up to speed.

Robert said...

A Hulk Ten is easy when you consider all the different ways he's been drawn but I'll try find distinct incarnations or looks, Ted.

1. Original grey first-appearance Hulk.
2. Classic green Hulk.
3. Savage "Crossroads" Hulk (when Banner's psyche was believed extinguished and Hulk was banished by Doc Strange to the Crossroads intersection.
4. Banner "Hulk" (from Iron Man story when Banner had Hulk's personality). Okay, I'm cheating a bit with that one.
5. Mr. Fixit.
6. "The Professor" Hulk (merged Hulk).
7. Rick Jones long-haired Hulk from early in Peter David's long run. (Whoops, cheating again!)
8. "Dark Hulk" (Hulk #371)
9. "King" Hulk (when on Jarella's world)
10. "Planet Hulk"/ Skaar Hulk.
11. Red Hulk

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Och! Robert you wee cheater :)
10 versions of the same character that was the criteria
rick jones long hair or not ain't no bruce banner hulk nor is the rulk although i will admit to total disinterst in this series ,Has the identity of the red Hulk been revealed ?
mr fixit was classic peter david

Robert said...

Busted!

Okay, I confess to cheating. But I did give eleven versions of Hulk to try to cover that up a bit!

No? Oh, well.

Still, do I get the other nine as they are all Banner? That leaves me with one more. Hmm... what about the rather gross partially-transformed Hulk where he had a mish-mash of Banner and Hulk bodyparts (from the merged Hulk story by Mr David)? Or the time Banner tried to bust out of Hulk's chest (drawn by Milgrom, just before David took over)?

(Actually, I'm still cheating, aren't I?)

P.S. Nope, Rulk hasn't been revealed yet, Ted. Whoever is in charge of the Hulk series has seriously lost his mind. It's a complete mess now and I can't keep track of all the Hulks, children of the Hulk, She-Hulks, etc. And I don't care. Arguably the biggest car-crash in Marvel history.

BobDiamond said...

OK, guys,
Got to admit I ******* up a bit with the Bushwacker/Lizard thing(I don't even know if Bushwacker is a mutant if I'm honest...), but I'll have a go at completing Rob's 'Hulk' list...
Ted, would you accept 'The Maestro' version from the future(never read it, but have heard it's excellent), and what about the strange 'Universe X' version with 'young' Banner riding around on the Hulk's back?
As for 'Classic' versions of characters(Rob's top 10)...my choices would be...
1.Starlin era Cap Marvel
2.Neal Adam's Havok
3.Early Avengers style Beast (we should definitely have had this!)
4.Classic Bucky
5.first Storm costume
6.early Mystique
7.original Madrox (FF Annual)
8.Proper Doc Octopus!!
9.Norman Osborne as The Iron Patriot (modern Classic!)
10.Henry Pym as orig. Giant Man
BD

Robert said...

Can't believe I forgot the Maestro! What a moron! I won't be able to show my face in a comic shop for a month now!

You really should get a hold of the Future Imperfect books, Bob. Great stuff from David and Perez. Don't want to spoil it for you but at the end, a character gets just about the best "sending off" in comics. If I could, that's the way I'd like to go.

As for classic versions of major characters, I am positive they would sell well regardless of other versions having been released at an earlier date. I mean, what would be more popular? A version of Iron Man that lasted from the 1960s until the 1980s and regularly appeared in Avengers and most other main titles or some villain with a handful of appearances in one corner of the MU?

P.S. Does anyone else think Iron Patriot is a modern classic or is Bob on his own with that one?

Bullseye81 said...

Ted that was an impressive list, you had me stumped. Robert very nice job picking out the one that didn't belong. Bob i love your classic list. I think i pretty much like everybody's list.

I hope there's a reveal today. I'm thinking it will be an Avenger related character or an X-men related character...

I'll guess Domino.

pirate adam said...

iron patriot...WOOHOO!!

PA

pirate adam said...

YAY Jacadoo's back aswell

PA

BobDiamond said...

I got to thinking about Ted's challenge to come up with 10 incarnations of the same character...so Hood, this one is for you! (apologies up front to our Pirate Friend!)
10 Howard the Duck variations!!
1. HTD the orig.
2.'Barbarian/Conan' from HTD no.1
3.The classic 'Master of Quak Fu'!
4.Iron Duck
5.Dr. Strange version (Teamed with Defenders in Marvel Treasury)
6.Son of Satan version
7.(yuck) Movie Version!
8.Howard the Mouse! (Max comics)
9.Witchblade version with the big boobies!(weird)(Max again)
10.Marvel Zombies version

There were a few others I think as well(a Dracula version maybe?). Anyway, I firmly believe that Rich and the Gang should manufacture the above collection, but at Real DUCK size. Then we could put them in the garden as Gnome alternatives!!!...I really think I'm onto something there...
BD

Robert said...

After Bob's last post now I'm starting to think Bob and Deadpool are the same person!

Anywho, there's been far too much about the bloody duck lately so here's my Howard the Duck top ten:
1. Howard and ginger noodle soup
2. Chinese Howard noodle broth
3. Red roast Howard curry
4. Pan-fried Howard breasts(!)
5. Howard foie gras cherie-cherries
6. Howard with fig and mint couscous
7. Gessingham Howard with Maderia
8. Sauteed Howard with peas
9. Howard with pineapple and pak choi
10. Howard terrine

The Hood said...

10 versions of wolverine

1- Wolverine (Regular Version)
2- Manga Wolverine (Mangaverse)
3- Old Man Logan
4- Earth X Wolverine
5- Weapon X (Age Of Apocalypse)
6- Zombie Wolverine
7- Cable(Future Ultimate wolverine)
8- Days Of Future Past Wolverine
9- Wild Wolverine (Mutant X)
10- Captain Logan (Wolverine Noir)
And 2 more,
11- Marvel Apes Wolverine
12- The Hooded Man (Fantastic Force) but he might be Old Man Logan so i'm not sure if he counts.

Gremlin said...

Bit late to the party but I just wanted to say that both Puppet Master and Shanna are excellent curveballs for the extension. Personally I am not fussed about PM but lots of other people seem psyched for him so that must be a good sign. Shanna is the one I am looking forward to more because she will complete my little Savage Land display. On a side note I am hoping that we can squeeze Sauron in the lineup somewhere too.

Omega Red looks good. Surprised how quickly both him and Ronan have been sculpted.

Great work guys.

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Pan fried Howard breasts ? it's not often yo will hear that in a sentence :)
Big chinese rainbow duck fan mmmmmmm. crispy shredded Howard

Robert said...

"Pan-fried Howard breasts." Yeh, should have thought that one through a bit more. Still, when we start talking about ways to cook our characters it is a sure sign we are in need of a new update. Over to you, Rich...

BobDiamond said...

'Pan fried Howard Breasts'?... you must be thinking of the Witchblade version 'with the big boobies'!.. mmmm...
BD

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Ah well we shouldn't grudge those hard working elves at EM a wee holiday. as it's easter how about the top 10 characters who have been dead and rose again ?
or is that tasteless ???

Gremlin said...

That pretty much covers every MU character doesn't it...?

BobDiamond said...

Trouble is, in the Marvel Universe, WHO hasn't died and risen again??
Of course, it's always written that they were not actually dead in the first place....
I think Thanos was actually dead and was brought back by Death herself...Anyway, these are the rest of my choices for Best Characters Returned from 'Suspected' Death!
2.Adam Warlock
3.Pheonix
4.Mockingbird
5.Cap America (we knew he was coming back!)
6.Bucky (that was a genuine surprise)
7.Hawkeye
8.IronFist
9.Colossus
10.Thor


11. Wasp ...we know she's about to come back!
All of them had some excuse for not really being dead in the first place, apart from Thanos...so I guess it doesn't actually satisfy your theme Ted..sorry!
BD
PS. I suppose you could use the entire cast of Marvel Zombies instead??

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

yep! i see your point guys perhaps i should have said the top 100 MU characters who have defied medical science :)

Robert said...

I guess the Easter break's affected the update this week. Pity. I was hoping to see one last update before tomorrow when I send my computer off to get mended. (I'll be quiet until it comes back, guys.)

Glad to see Adam Warlock feature so highly in your "resurrection" list, Bob. When he returned in the pages of Silver Surfer I was beyond happy...

pirate adam said...

BOOOO HISSSS!!!

no update again :(

PA

Jacadoo said...

Oh come on Rich I'm back now your MIA!!!

BobDiamond said...

Rob, I've always been a massive Adam Warlock fan myself, especially the Starlin era.
This got me to thinking about who my 'All Time Favourate Marvel Top 10' would be...and here it is (in no particular order)..BD's Top 10:
1.Adam Warlock
2.Cap America
3.DareDevil
4.Sons of The Tiger (as a group, cheating I know..)
5.Iron Fist (probably my fav.)
6.Hawkeye
7.Black Knight
8.Nick Fury
9.Shang-Chi
10.(sorry) Howard the Duck
I was going to do a Warlock Top 10, but I thought you (Rob) should have a go, before you uh, have to go...
I also will be gone for some time in a day or so, so if I don't post before that, I wish each and everyone of you an Excellent Easter Holiday!!!
Cheers!
BD
PS. It would be great to see everyone's 'All Time Favourates' List, hint, hint...

Dan The Man said...

Funny how many are wanting Killraven, I suggested this to Rich and he said no one would want him!
I only wanted to do him because it makes my life easier designing the magazine (Killraven had a long run of comics to find images in - good covers too).
So I'll do my best to rib Rich about him again!

I'm designing Gorgon's issue at the moment and we have pretty much every comic he's ever been in and there aren't that many good big pictures to fill the mag up with - we've taken Kirby's poster of Gorgon from an old FF annual and had Alan Craddock do a lovely re-colour job on it for the cover.

The intro page is my next problem (maybe the recent Frasier Irving one after he gets mutated into a more beastly version), then what to do with the Classic Moments spread (one big image as standard or 2 or 3? - or not bother at all and extend the life and times section). I'll probably use the splash page from his first appearance in conjunction with the cover FF44 (as his back is facing out).

All he ever does is stomp his feet and knock people over so I might make a joke of this on the Amazing Secrets spread (i.e. every panel he's done that in).

it's possible to do but it takes some careful planning and research.

Anyway, my point is I love all the leftfield character choices you guys keep coming up with, but the prospect of filling up a 16 page magazine with images of 'Gorilla Man' fill me with dread.
I understand you guys want interesting cool figurines even at the expense of the mag, but even Pyro is gonna cause me a lot of grief - as we go on with the collection there are less good pics of characters on the Marvel Digital Images Website (about 2 for Gorgon as apposed to 1000s for spidey) so I have to scan in and clean up most of the images which takes a hell of a lot of time and effort - it's a fun job but 2 weeks is sometimes not enough time to give these magazines justice.
(By the way I've heard Marvel have been using our mags as reference guides for them - cool eh?).

So the ability to create a magazine based on the character has a strong bearing on whether we decide to let them in the collection or not. the character needs to have been in about 20-25 comics just to be able to do the cover timeline (wondering if we need to drop this - as it does take up a lot of research time for such a small pay-off; we have to choose them, find images (Google images or scan in), write a small blurb, get the date and artist correct. You may find at some point we drop this timeline altogether. Hopefully you guys would understand the reasoning behind this.

Anyway just wanted to give you guys an insight into getting the mag together. I know it's probably only 5% or less of the reason people buy it - but the mag is essential to the partwork as that's the licence we have from Marvel (it has to be a magazine accompanied with a lead alloy (or lead/polystone/resin) figurine. we could reduce the page count again maybe to 12 pages, but that would be much later on maybe.

So, maybe we need to keep evolving the magazine as we go (we've already introduced the History of Marvel section (up to part 12 now) when there's little to say about a particular character. and reduce/increase certain page counts for articles as and when needed.

Thanks for your continued support of the collection and please bare with us as problems and changes occur, they are not done lightheartedly!

Myself and Rich try to read all your comments and take them on board when we feel they are relevant and helpful - some of your comments have actually pointed things out to us we overlooked.

'nuff said.
.........

Gremlin said...

Who is Killraven?

Robert said...

Thanks for the post, Dan. It made up for Rich being unable to do so.

I can't talk for anyone else but I enjoy the magazine and would be reluctant to see it dropped or radically altered. I particularly like the analysis of a character's personality and the historical pieces. The writers really know their stuff.

I know I have mentioned (okay, banged on about) the idea of variants, which would render a magazine kind of pointless, but the magazines are excellent and compliment the figures.

The only addition/ change I would like to see would be Thor8's idea from a week or two back where there is a "Making of" section. It's always interesting to hear how you decide on a costume, pose, etc. and, if included, this new section would help to make up the shortfall in magazine content when a character has a brief or limited history. Maybe others could comment on this in case I am in a small minority with this one.

Anyway, thanks to you and everyone at Eaglemoss for all your efforts on the magazine and the figures, Dan. It's good to know you read the comments on here but I'm curious what was said on here that pointed things out that were overlooked...?

Bob, my top two characters, waaaaaay in front of anyone else, are Captain America and Adam Warlock. And my Warlock Top Ten is entirely predictable and, since it's my list, I just had to include variants!
1. Adam Warlock (1970s Starlin-era)
2. Adam Warlock (Infinity Gauntlet-era)
3. Thanos
4. Magus (original - with electric Afro hairdo!)
5. Gamora
6. Pip the Troll
7. The Destroyer (original)
8. Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)
9. Judge Kray-Tor
10. Autolycus


P.S. No interest in Killraven a.k.a Borat.

BobDiamond said...

Thanks Dan for the thorough and very informative update. There's obviously a lot more than we realize to consider, than just the Figure itself, in the prep. of this production.
The Marvel Mag. is far more entertaining than the DC version because of it's friendlier and more up-beat tone. And I've got to say I love the Time line at the base of the pages- it's one of the best parts, and it's one of the bits that is lacking in the DC counterpart! ('Crisis on Infinite Earths' probably cocked that up!)
So anyway, thanks again!

Great list Rob, here's my slightly different one for the Great Adam Warlock...
1.Warlock (Starlin era of course)
2.Thanos
3.Gamora
4.Pip the Troll
5.Magus(definitly with afro!)
6.Drax the Destroyer
7.Cap Marvel (Orig.)
8.Moondragon
9.High Evolutionary
10.Man-Beast

Those were the days alright!
Prob. see you tomorrow,
BD

Anonymous said...

WE LOVE THE MAGAZINE!
BUT WE ALSO LOVE
OUR LEFTFIELD CHARACTERS!

Dan, many thanks for your post.
It gave us a good insight into the production.

Personally, I'm a bit worried to hear that a character may be excluded from the collection because it is difficult to fill the pages of the magazine.

CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION OF CHARACTER
I think the most important criteria
for choosing a character are:

1. it is important in Marvel history (in a long running series, or a particular saga, or a pivotal event, or in relation to another character or team)

2. is representative of a part of the Marvel Universe (eg.Ka-zar represents the Savage Land).

3. the character's physical features, costume and gadgets
will make an awesome figurine

4. is a popular, much loved character wanted by fans

When a character matches one or more than one of the above criteria, then it should be included in the Marvel Figurine
collection.

WAYS TO FILL THE MAGAZINE
Even if the character has appeared in a small number of stories, there are many ways to fill the pages of a magazine. For example, the summary of the stories can be lenghtier and more detailed than usual. Or you can focus on other themes that are related to the character. For example, the magazine on Gorgon can include an article on the Terrigen Mists.

I am sure we are all very happy to get a figurine of an interesting character, even if it means thatthe magazine's content is less substantial than usual. You don't have to drop the timeline. Why would you do that? Simply give us whatever timeline the character has. Even if it's a few issues.

MULTI-PACK & MAGAZINE
One more reason to have multi-packs is that two leftfield characters together can fill the pages to create a super interesting. For example, individually the Young Avengers don't have much history. But put Wiccan and Hulkling together in a multi-pack, and you've got enough material to fill a magazine.

PLEASE INCLUDE LEFTFIELD CHARACTERS
AND WORK THE MAGAZINE AROUND THEM.
To conclude, keep the magazine as it is. It's wonderful. But please do not exclude a character from the collection just because it presents you with a challenge to fill the pages.
We care about the characters, and we want you to find a way to include them and write about them.
Hey, if you need a researcher to help, let me know!!!

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

Very informative Dan, nice to know you are a Killravn fan , if you send Robert the Borat version pop it on my bill :)

Robert said...

Very kind of you to offer to pay for my Borat, Ted, but still not interested. Those people who point at you in the street and call you a mindless muck-monster have you all wrong! :)

Bob, except for number 2, I was stuck in 1976-77 when I wrote my list. Moondragon, High Evolutionary and Man-Beast would of course be better deserving of featuring in a Warlock Top Ten than the likes of Autolycus. I bow to your more representative list.

Kirlianeyes, great post, you made loads of great points about the magazine.

Robert said...

Speak to you soon, guys!

Have a good Easter!

Gremlin said...

OK re-reading Dan the Man's comments got me thinking. We were told that a character needed 30 issues to be considered for the CMFC. But really the situation depends on the character.

Picking a example such as Avalanche. He has been in a fair few comics now and certainly qualifies but really most of his appearences has been as a generic goon on a team. He doesn't do or say much and hasn't really gone through any particular story arcs so if he were made I wouldn't want to be the one to write that gem of a magazine.
Now the Hood has only been around for a short period of time and probably has a similar issue count to Avalanche but the difference is that when the Hood is in an issue he generally contributes to it and has been developed as a unique character in his own right. The quality of the magazine would be better just because of the information and sources available.

I am sure some of you may disagree on the particular characters I chose but what I am trying to point out is that not every character is the same. Some are simply background characters and other are lead characters and maybe the selection criteria needs to reflect that.
I would personally love to see some proper d-listers like Arclight, Maggott and Diamond Lil make the cut but I definately don't expect them too. I would rather have Wolfsbane, Exodus and Aurora instead because of the standard of the character.

The Hood said...

If you cant fill a magazine on a particular character alone, how about giving us some history on alternate versions of the character, like in some of the earlier issues of the collection.

My All Time Marvel Top 10
1- Deadpool
2- Captain America
3- Silver Surfer
4- Howard The Duck
5- The Punisher
6- Son Of Satan
7- Werewolf By Night
8- Black Bolt
9- Doctor Strange
10- Man-Thing

BobDiamond said...

Excellent 'All Time..' List there Hood!
Right guys, have a good one...(I'll try and think of another list or two to bore you with while I'm gone!)
Cheers for now,
BD

LAWay said...

To Dan's comment its good to hear that really niche characters may not be taking up appearances in the line-up as there are more deserving characters first. Then again, we have already seen some niche characters already.

And please dont cut back on magazine pages unless you are thinking of cutting back on prices as well. I think many agree that even if pages were filled by work in progress shots of the figurine, or even concept sketches for it, it fills at least 2 page, could be stretched to 4. Maybe fill up a page or two with a single page print of a character.

POSES
I am glad people agree with the more static poses so that the scales match. A figure can have a standing pose and include character, the first bunch of figurines did this incredibly well.

It has only started to be noticeable with the lesser known characters who really have not much character or traits. This is why I dont care for this figures and why they are not important to the marvel line-up and are just fillers. Realistically, there is probably only one decent character in every 6 issues now.

And posing, look and Shang Chi...that is horrible. Sorry, but its an ugly figure, costume and pose with an oversized base and the scale of him makes him look like if he stood straight he would be 8' tall.

SOLUTION
Spiderman #1 worked. Why? Because as a special we had a spidey pose on a gargoyle.

If we want in character poses, release a special. No magazine, just a figurine like that spidey, exclusive to subscribers so it isn't available in shops and doesnt breach your license.

Honestly, I DONT want to pay £20 for a large scale horribly niche character.

I WOULD pay £20 for a raging Hulk figurine. Look at Abomination, gorgeous figure, but so out of place in the line-up with that base and dynamic pose. As a special he is great, like the spidey gargoyle piece. As part of the line-up, doesnt match.

I see the marvel figurine collection like the Marvel handbook where they had those line-ups and turnarounds of every character in the same back to front pose.

Lets be honest, the collection is drying out of good characters. Adding this special of revisiting old characters in dynamic poses, not even in scale would be incredible and get people excited.

To be honest, I am no longer excited at the collection, often opening my subscription box to see another pair of characters that have hardly made a ripple in the marvel universe, and are either sculpted not as well, or have a bad paint job. The first 40-50 figurines were incredibly sculpted, posed, painted but the quality has slipped.

If I had a great special to look forward to, I would keep my subscription running for a chance of these mini statue like figurines. I dont know about you, but I buy Marvel comics for spidey, xmen, hulk, avengers, iron man, cap, thunderbolts...and thats it.

I dont care for the little appearance characters. Maybe its just me, but these characters are mainly fodder for marvel.

BOBS GAME
Are we talking about who we have on our plinths? Mine is Civil War based.
Front Row
1-Yellow Jacket
2-Ironman
3-Spider-Man
4-Captain America
5-Hawkeye
Back Row
Fantastic 4 with Silver Surfer in the middle. ^_^

What would my dream top 10 be?
10 variations of spiderman costumes and characters.

Make mine marvel. ;)

Gremlin said...

I completely disagree that the collection is drying out of good characters. In fact for me they are becoming more interesting because we are getting to some really cool second tier ones. We still have the likes of Spiral, Moondragon, Quasar and Hydroman already confirmed. Plus there are many like Wolfsbane, Photon, Tigershark, Deathbird and Magik who are rich in history, popular and have awesome looks.

I love dynamic poses when it suits the character. Personally I think SpiderMan is a bit of a dull figure compared to the others that have since been released. As I said it all depends on the character.....Gladiator, Dazzler, Sandman and Hellcat all have nice poses that aren't too apparent.

Anonymous said...

I feel that people who only want the major characters are not the ideal Classic Marvel Figurine collectors. The good news is that they can look somewhere else if they want to buy Spider-Man and Hulk over and over again.

THE BEAUTY OF THIS COLLECTION
is precisely that it cares about the major characters as well as the ancillary characters, as they are the very fabric of the Marvel mythos. Of course there are some characters that must take priority (see my proposed Criteria For Selection in one of my posts above). However, ultimately if a character makes an awesome figurine, then it's worth having regardless of how many times it has appeared.

VASTITY OF MARVEL IMAGINATION
The Marvel Universe is so vast in scope and imagination, we are light-years away from having to scrap the bottom of the barrel.
There are hundreds of ancillary characters, both in heroes and villains, who look awesome and have played crucial roles in
major story arcs and events. Marvel is great because the vast majority of so-called 'niche characters' are based on amazing concepts and look like A-listers. They deserve to be covered, and they will make awesome figurines. The majority of fans will want them.

AN ODE TO EAGLEMOSS
It is amazing that Eaglemoss are attempting to cover the entire Marvel Universe, and so far they've done it so well. As a Marvel fan, this collection is a dream come true. I will be happy to buy 10,000 more figurines.

THE ULTIMATE MARVEL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Not only am I a huge fan of this collection. In my opinion this collection is one of the most important studies on the Marvel Universe, what it represents in human culture. Its encyclopedic approach does justice to the greatness of Marvel comics - in a way that's never been seen before. We are creating a veritable Museum of Marvel Characters. So let's praise this endeavour. Let's attempt to cover as many characters as possible. My fellow fans, please submit lists of characters which prove that there are plenty of awesome figurines to come.

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

THIS COLLECTION IS GROWING STRONGER BY EVERY EXTENSION THE QUALITY OF SCULPT IS FRANKLY AMAZING AT A £5.99 PRICE POINT.
AND AS KIRLIANEYES ALLUDED TO WE HAVE BARELY SCRATCHED THE VASTINESS OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE.
I WILL WAGER MY DONNY OSMOND BOX SET THAT WE ARE ALL ARGUING ABOUT THE NEXT EXTENSION IN THE SPACE YEAR 2015 . MAKE NO MISTAKE THIS COLLECTION WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A TRULY AMAZING THING LONG AFTER IT'S COMPLETION.

Deadpool said...

Underpants

Deadpool said...

I will continue to collect these figures because I like them and they are cheap for what you get.

Hood has very good taste.

I certainly don't think the collection is either dying or drying.

Double packs with the right figures at the correct price point will be a winner.

So to all you nay sayers I will repeat my last post....

Underpants

Deadpool said...

Moss Men make this collection valuable.

Give us "Subscriber only" figures.
Subscribers are a captive audience and we will probably buy a few of each.

Unpainted figures also available on demand via mail order may be a winner too for the modders, fiddlers, filers and fumblers.

SinisterVenom said...

First of all, welcome back Deadpool! Where you been hiding DP?
Next, I do believe that the collection may sometimes choose a character that some may think wouldn't appear before the more 'popular' characters, but nevertheless it doesn't mean to say the collection is drying up. As I have mentioned before I like learning about the characters I don't know and believe me, there have been a few for me. And then we get the ones we do know about which are the ones we're usually waiting to see (take Hydro Man for example, everyone knows him, we all wanted him, and now we got him comfirmed).
So for me, the collection will never start 'drying up'. If anything it is making my knowledge of the world of Marvel bigger. Keep em coming and I'll keep buying!

Anonymous said...

first up :

i think we should get a similar update to the last one this week because we would have had to wait 2 weeks again for it.
so two additions to the extension and at least one sneak peak please rich ?

red guardian would be a welcome addition in my opinion.
hmmmm ? who else ? wizard ?

my choice would be those two.

next up :

going back to the subject of variants - i think that we should have had more of them and rather than just simply a change of colour we should have got a totally different pose / sculpt all together.
for example -

mystique could have been done like we got her but also in her white uniform with a different pose.

doctor octopus could also have been done in the yellow green costume.

captain marvel could have been done as mar vell with his blonde hair showing instead of just two paint jobs.

hulk could have been done using the pose we got and the pose shown in the background on the official site. with the additional option of colour - green , grey , red ?
this way you could get 2 different hulk sculpts all together - different poses and colour.

there are many more characters that were made or could have been made as a variant , or at least made as a better variant.
anyone else think of any ?
and rich do you think that this is a possibility for future additions to the collection ?
are there any characters that collectors cannot make up their minds about when it comes to costume choice / pose ?
cannonball for example - some want black and white costume and others want blue and yellow. how about producing both and giving the collectors a choice ?
they would be two different sculpts but then if this was used on characters that have been members of more than one group like quicksilver for example - brotherhood of mutants , x factor ,
avengers. i think it would work and collectors may even buy both versions.
we already have blue + white costume for quicksilver , if we got another but in a running pose and with green + white costume i'd buy it so that i could display one quicksilver in the avengers category and one in with the x men.

what do you guys all think ?

navaho said...

I can understand where you're coming from LA Way but I have to disagree. The collection is fantastic, the sculpts are well thought out and a great price and the magazines serve to inform. This collection is one of its kind and I doubt we will see another like it in our lifetime. Thats why I think we should take advantage for this oppurtunity and get as many Marvel characters as possible confirmed. I think the collection is getting more interesting now the big guns are out of the way, come on sphinx, get in there.

Bullseye81 said...

Hey guys, some great posts. Deadpool, welcome back. I am not a fan of subscriber variants, mainly because i live in Canada and do not have the option to be a subscriber. It does look like there may be a demand for variants though (Mad Thinker does a nice job outlining some of the more popular choices in an earlier post)

If EM decided to introduce 1-2 variants per extension (preferably after 200 or 250) i would not be opposed, even though my preferance would be no variants.

I definitely agree with Sinister Venom, Navahoo and many others who have stated the collection is getting more interesting with every new extension and perhaps more exciting as well. I hope the collection is still going strong in 2020.

Lastly, i've noticed a debate on here about collectors wanting to complete teams as opposed to starting new unrepresented teams. I propose every time we complete a team we start a new one. What do you guys thnk? I know there would be a lot of debate on what counts as completion and perhaps a vote could clear that up.

sorry for such a long post :(

Gremlin said...

I would rather start new teams like the original Guardians if the Galaxy or Runaways or Young Avengers rather than try and finish off certain teams.
The Inhumans were a fairly easy team to finish since their numbers were so low. But you will be going on forever if you try and finish off the XMen or Avengers.
We haven't done so bad up to this point. Lets continue by having another New Mutant (Magik), another West Coast Avenger (Arachne), another modern GOTG (Gamora) plus some people from new teams thrown in the mix like Sister Grimm and Vance Astro.

mighty_marvel said...

i agree. more new teams should be started in this extension. the collection needs to be as diverse as possible to make sure it continues for as long as possible. my vote for a new team goes to the runaways. nico minoru or karolina dean please.

Thor8 said...

New teams for this extension?
Then how about;

Soviet Super Soldiers- DarkStar
Zodiac(original)- Scorpion
Squadron Supreme- Hyperion

jimbob said...

I have to admit the only reason i still collect Marvel Figurines now is because the prospect of finishing teams,otherwise i would have finished at 100.

There are some new teams i would like to start,but i would not be interested in it if there was just 2 out of 5 members only included in the collection.


I hope EM keeps a fine balance on completeing teams and starting new teams.

It wont be fair on us who have spent money and just get have of the original ine up.

Thor8 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thor8 said...

I know how you feel jimbob,I've gone through that myself more than once with other collections. Personally I'd like to be able to add Swordsman,Goliath/Giant-Man,Photon,Mockingbird,Firebird,USAgent,Starfox.Stingray,and Arachne to my Avengers line up before this collection is over. I know there are other members like Gilgamesh,Triathlon,Living Lightning,but to be honest I wouldn't really mind that much if those weren't made.

Gremlin said...

Definately support a Darkstar figure. She would also help complete the Champions lineup.
One team we haven't heard much from in a while are the Defenders. Any chance of Clea or Gargoyle making the cut this time.
Plus the New Warriors got off to a good start with Firestar last time so maybe Night Thrasher, Justice, Namorita or Speedball would be a good follow up.

Miguel Angel Jiminez said...

everyone got them waiting for a blog update blues :)

navaho said...

Can't wait for the upcoming blog, fingers crossed for Tigershark, Domino, Stingray, Sif or Hela. Come on Rich, make mine marvel!

Thor8 said...

Well,today's the day! Sure hope we see an Avenger or one of thier foes listed today,along with someone from a forgotten group like Guardians of the Galaxy or Squadron Supreme.

Would be nice to see a couple of sneak peeks and the confirmation of a mega (Giant-Man/Goliath) also.

mighty_marvel said...

would like one (or two) from these confirmed today

avengers - photon or arachne

x-men - domino or forge

runaways - nico minoru or karolina dean

GotG - vance astro

Anonymous said...

it's like waiting for christmas day to open all your presents as a child.