Action figures and crummy accessories...

[enyawd72]

I purchased some of the new 3 3/4 Captain America movie figures, namely Red Skull, Cap and Winter Soldier.
Each one comes with a ridiculously oversized spring loaded weapon/accessory that in some cases is larger than the figure itself. Why don't manufacturers do away with these stupid things?

Our old Star Wars and other 3 3/4 lines didn't come with them...they didn't need to. The small, in scale weapons were more than enough. I'd have been perfectly happy with a tiny pistol and cosmic cube for my Red Skull...you know, accessories he could actually use.
Instead he was given a huge waste of plastic that never appeared in the movie and no doubt doubled the cost of the figure.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I really thought we'd gotten past this, but lately they have returned. My only thought on this is that companies believe that parents will perceive this as a better value or something.

Chris

[cockyhoskins]

I saw two new lines recently (I think Cap Marvel Legends and S-M Marvel Legends) that each had an individual limb to another figure. I assume the purpose is that you have to buy every figure to assemble the extra figure. Not a fan of that trend!

[weshightower21]

I got my son the Arkham origins batman and joker,no accessories at all. The Arkham Asylum and City figs at least had some accessories. Hell the penguin had a cigarette / cigar and trusty umbrella and his top-hat.

[warlock664]

I saw two new lines recently (I think Cap Marvel Legends and S-M Marvel Legends) that each had an individual limb to another figure. I assume the purpose is that you have to buy every figure to assemble the extra figure. Not a fan of that trend!

Um, yeah, that trend started in 2005, with the Marvel Legends GALACTUS "Build-A-Figure" Wave, and has been in use ever since, most notably in the Marvel Legends series by first ToyBiz and later Hasbro, and also for about 20 waves of DC Universe Classics. It proved to be very popular with collectors, and was a genius marketing strategy to reduce peg-warmers. Of course, with the cost of an individual figure now topping $20, the concept has doubtless lost some steam.

[cockyhoskins]

Thanks warlock. I'm not a collector of modern toys, so I've never noticed it.

[thunderbolt]

I purchased some of the new 3 3/4 Captain America movie figures, namely Red Skull, Cap and Winter Soldier.
Each one comes with a ridiculously oversized spring loaded weapon/accessory that in some cases is larger than the figure itself. Why don't manufacturers do away with these stupid things?

Our old Star Wars and other 3 3/4 lines didn't come with them...they didn't need to. The small, in scale weapons were more than enough. I'd have been perfectly happy with a tiny pistol and cosmic cube for my Red Skull...you know, accessories he could actually use.
Instead he was given a huge waste of plastic that never appeared in the movie and no doubt doubled the cost of the figure.

the accessories for that line are meant to be used with the role play Cap helmet, too. An interesting new way to sell items from Hasbro.

[samurainoir]

Flashback to the first wave of Marvel Superheroes from Toy Biz in 1990.

Captain America is like "Check out my awesome comic-accurate Shield! Nuts to you Mattel Secret Wars."


Punisher is in heaven 'cause he's got FOUR GUNS! He goes "pew pew pew!"... then realizes HE FIRES CAPS! AWESOME!


Surfer sez "By the POWER COSMIC! These tiny wheels at the bottom of my Surfboard do not fit into "continuity" but are play-worthy for kids."


even Daredevil is like "oookay, try to pull one over on a blind man by giving me a grappling hook. It's still a cool accessory I guess."


but poor Hulk is Charlie Brown during Halloween. He's all "I got a ROCK!"

[enyawd72]

^I absolutely LOVE those early Toy Biz figures...the simplicity of the sculpts, the bright colors. They're my favorite Marvel toys after the Pocket Superheroes. I still remember when they came out back in 1990. I went to TRU and bought them all, and two of the carrying cases to put them in.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Those were a definite improvement over most of the DC line, especially wave II. The Cap sculpt matched the then-current Cap artist Kieron Dwyer's take on the character.

Chris

[Figuremod73]

I cant believe I use to pass those early Toybiz figures up when I browsing in the toystores. I like them better than whats being offered now. I like their simplicity to.

[MIB41]

My two year old grandson likes them. Market covered from daycare to Medicare.

[samurainoir]

Secret Wars... rather than at least one star spangled one, everyone has shields that reveal your secret identities to the world!