Thanks to the proliferation of film, comic-book and cartoon characters, companies are bombarding consumers with an incredible selection of action figures. With tongue in cheek, let’s take a peek at some of the specimens worthy of a place in Zad’s Toy Vault.
Sam & Twitch
McFarlane Toys brings to three-dimensional life some of its sister company’s classic comic-book covers through its Spawn Series 25 line of action figures. These 7-inch, highly detailed gems include Redeemer (from Spawn No. 17), Spawn from his signature title (issue No. 25), two different Hellspawns (from Hellspawn No. 11 and No. 5), Creech (from Creech: Out for Blood, No. 1), and a pair of clean cops who went on to star in their own sequential-art series.
Figure profile: New York City police detectives Sam Burke and Maximillion Steven Percival Williams — aka Twitch — have been partners since Twitch joined the division and acquaintances of the vigilante Spawn since he first appeared in the Big Apple back in 1992. Max, the coolheaded, college-educated family man, and Sam, the obese, heavy-handed military officer, briefly formed their own private detective agency after they were fired for not participating in their police department’s corruption and were later asked to return to the NYPD homicide division.
Accessories: Collectors get Sam’s stool for seating his wide load; Twitch’s two long-barreled revolvers; a small, circular display stand for Twitch; and a cardboard minicomic cover with frame.
Price: $9.99
Read all about it: The figures perfectly capture Alex Maleev’s stylistic cover from Issue 22 of the Sam and Twitch series. In the book, the pair are right in the middle of the Todd McFarlane-authored seven-issue story line (Nos. 22 to 26, $2.50 each), “The John Doe Affair,” in which they must catch a serial killer who enjoys videotaping his crimes.
Words to buy by: Limited articulation and outstanding sculpting destine the figures for a display case or office keepsake shelf and not a child’s toy chest.
Superman and Batman
Mattel and the design team the Four Horsemen have created an awesome selection of action figures for children to take on the 6-inch role-playing duties of a Dark Knight adventure. The company’s latest wave of Batman comic-book-inspired figures surrounds an epic fight with the archenemy Killer Croc and includes the rerelease of packages that contain two multiarticulated figures each. The sets hitting store shelves have Batman pairing with Nightwing, Robin, the Joker and Metropolis’ legendary Man of Steel.
Figure profile: Here’s the story, as culled from DC Comics’ Web site (www.dccomics.com): Though regarded by many Gothamites as an “urban legend” built on a fear of the city’s darkened streets, Bruce Wayne knows all too well that Batman is a cold, hard reality of his own fabrication. Since his parents’ murder, Wayne has spent his life in pursuit of physical and mental perfection to wage an unrelenting war on crime.
Rocketed to Earth from the exploding planet Krypton, Superman was raised as an ordinary man and imbued with a sense of moral responsibility by the Kents. He traveled the world for many years as Clark Kent in a bid to gain wisdom and experience regarding his abilities before settling in Metropolis as a staff reporter at the Daily Planet newspaper. He is regarded by many as the most influential figure in Earth history, a symbol of hope to which other heroes can only aspire.
Together, the pair have formed an uneasy alliance since the 1950s as men who share common goals but radically different methodologies.
Accessories: Dressed in traditional gray-and-blue garb with a cloth cape, Batman comes with eight points of movement, a disc launcher and yellow utility belt. The bright blue-and-red-dressed Superman gets a rigid plastic cape and has 12 points of movement. Each carries a large communicator to wear on the arms, with each displaying his own logo.
Price: $13.99
Read all about it: Superman and Batman have been teamed together in comic books since 1954 with the release of World’s Finest Comics No. 71 (worth $1,250 in near mint condition). To see the latest collaboration of the pair, grab the hardcover Superman/Batman: Public Enemies ($19.95), which compiles the first six issues of the hot and current monthly team-up series.
Words to buy by: Last year’s two-packs flew off shelves as collectors scooped up the best-looking Batman toys ever released. Hopefully, those initial waves satiated the rabid fans so this year’s repeat two-packs, along with an assortment of solo Batman figures touting rugged armor and gadgets, will give youngsters the chance just to have some fun.
Strange but cool
A short look at bizarre products with a pop-culture twist.
• Electro (Diamond Select Toys, $45). Sculptor Eli Livingston from the Art Asylum designs a gorgeous but maniacal-looking 6-inch-tall resin bust of one of Spider-Man’s most shocking villains. Translucent bolts of energy shoot from Electro’s hands, and a nameplate rests as his base to remind the world of Maxwell Dillon’s infamous alias. The 3,000-piece limited edition comes with a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity.
• Ghostbusters ECTO 1 (Joyride Studios, $24.99). This 1:18 scale, 12-inch-long, die-cast replica takes collectors back to 1984 and the release of the paranormal movie comedy starring Bill Murray and Dan Akyroyd. The heavily modified 1959 ambulance includes working hood, front and rear doors, a steering wheel that turns the front tires, detailed engine, a host of ghost-catching equipment and the translucent green apparition Slimer. Easily one of the best die-cast releases of the year.
• Mach 5 (Joyride Studios, $24.99). The edgy 1:18 scale die-cast perfectly replicates Speed Racer’s multifunctional vehicle. It includes a spring-loaded periscope, jacks under the flip-forward hood (which can be locked in place to support the car), an opening hood compartment housing Speed’s homing robot; and an opening compartment on the rear. The hood opens to a replica of the “actual” forged alloy aluminum turbine engine; doors open to an interior that includes folding bucket seats, with a plastic Chim Chim figure also included.
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