IMAX, 4k, Ring the Death Knell for 3D
by Arnie Carvalho
Did James Cameron wait too long for his Avatar sequels? It seems that by the time Avatar 2 is released (optimistically scheduled for 2020) the 3D format utilized by that 2009 original may be a thing of the past.
IMAX Announces 2D “Preference”
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond announced this week that the company will be reducing the number of 3D screenings on their high-priced, large format projectors and screens. He cited a “clear preference” from North American audiences for 2D films.
This statement of direction does not signal an abrupt shift. IMAX’s most recent release, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, was filmed and released only in 2D. (Nolan has a history of disliking the 3D format, refusing Warner Bros’ requrest for his Dark Knight films to be released in the format which commands a higher ticket price.) Before that, the 3D post-converted Spider-Man: Homecoming was shown on IMAX screens in a combination of 2D and 3D presentation. This is a change from even a year ago when most IMAX viewings required the audience to don a pair of special, plastic glasses.
This follows a recent history of movie-goers intentionally choosing 2D presentation and falling 3D ticket sales.
Home Video Flattens Out
It’s not only in theaters that 3D is dying. Movie viewers also have shown a preference for the 2D picture in their homes. In 2010, riding off Avatar’s success, High Definition Blu-Ray discs started shipping in 3D formats (the first of which was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). 3D features were included on all high-end 1080p televisions and home projectors.
However, with the recent advances in 4k resolution, 3D has become a feature of the past. Over the past few years television manufacturers like Sony and LG have phased out 3D capabilities on most of their 4k televisions. With their 2016 models LG only offered 3D on their curved television sets; in 2017 3D was removed altogether. Likewise 4k home projectors are removing support for 3D, with only Sony offering true 4k projectors that are backwards-compatible with the 3D Blu-Ray format.
Indeed, there is no established standard for 4k home video content to be displayed in 3D; currently movie buyers must choose between the higher resolution or the greater depth in their films.
Is this a win for consumers?
These changes follow the standard market practice of meeting consumer demand.
The 3D format has long been rife with viewer complaints. In addition to being forced to wear glasses to watch 3D content, be it in theaters or at home, many viewers could not appreciate the added dimension. Per vision insurance company VSP, 5% of the population cannot percieve 3D, and another 25% have trouble perceiving 3D images. Another 25% or more have complained of headaches, eye strain, and eye fatigue from current 3D digital projection.
These complaints have gotten many people to buy special “2D Glasses” which allow them to see (non IMAX) 3D films in 2D format. (Now Playing Podcast host Marjorie can vouch for these glasses’ effectiveness.)
Many theater-goers also complained about the unreliable quality of 3D in films, much due to the post-conversion process many studios use to save money. The vast majority of 3D films were post-converted–in 2017 only Transformers: The Last Knight was shot natively in the 3D format. On Now Playing Podcast we have complained about lackluster 3D in Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and other movies.
Hollywood studios fought this trend. Many studios intentionally limited 2D availability of films, including 2012’s Prometheus, in order to reap higher profits from the inflated ticket prices.
Will this hurt studios?
Yet despite these consumer complaints, studios have continued to push the 3D format, which commands higher ticket prices. As movie budgets continue to expand, the higher priced 3D tickets, IMAX tickets, and other “premium” theater experiences have bolstered studio bottom lines. More, the 3D Blu-Rays sell for $30 or more, while their 2D counterparts are often half that. (Of note, the higher-resolution 4k Blu-Ray discs are often priced equal to, or higher than, their 3D counterparts.)
While the 3D Post Conversion can add $10 million or more to a film’s cost, the increased revenue often offsets that. Many older films, including Jurassic Park and Top Gun were post-converted and re-released to theaters to grab their studios a quick buck.
Yet this switch back to 2D may not bring cheaper ticket prices. AMC Theaters charges the same for 2D and 3D IMAX screenings. It’s possible theaters may raise all ticket prices to current 3D prices to help offset these losses. Also, studios and theater chains have discussed having “event movie” pricing, where tickets cost more for big-budget blockbusters with or without “premium” gimmicks like 3D.
No change for animation?
The movie format that has generated the greatest 3D success is kids’ fare and computer-animated movies, such as LEGO Batman and Moana. As these films are entirely computer-generated the 3D is more ingrained in their development. The effects are better, and the audience for those films are primarily younger and not yet burnt-out by the format. While Gelfond made no specific mention of animated films staying in 3D, it is likely these will remain in that format for years to come.
Modern 3D History
The modern 3D era was brought in by Cameron in two waves. In 2003 the first modern, digital 3D film was his IMAX documentary Ghosts of the Abyss. The format had a slow growth over the next six years, mostly as a gimmick in kids films including Spy Kids and The Polar Express.
The change to 3D was a clumsy one. Superman Returns and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix both had select scenes converted to IMAX 3D–requiring customers to don and remove
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_3D_films_(2005_onwards)
glasses through the films.
Modern 3D came into its own in 2009. By that time the 3D cameras required had come down in price. Horror films (which had heavily relied on 3D in the ’80s) got into the game with My Bloody Valentine 3D and The Final Destination. Animated films premiered in the format, including Coraline, Monsters vs. Aliens, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
But Cameron ushered in a new age with the 3D film Avatar. Somewhat bolstered by 3D and IMAX ticket prices, Avatar became the top-grossing film of all-time. This created a 3D “gold rush” among studios, exponentially increasing the quantity of 3D films produced.
This growth continued until 2011, when 63 3D movies were released. Growth then leveled off through 2015, when the number of films started to decline.
With these changes to home video and IMAX formats, it is likely 3D films may return to their pre-Avatar numbers.
What do we lose, besides depth?
I’m no great fan of 3D. However, as a movie-goer who prefers to see the movie as the director intended, I’m slightly upset by the loss of the 3D home format. Every movie I’ve purchased since 2010 has been in 3D, if available. I was especially happy with the Transformers films which not only were released in 3D but also changed to the IMAX aspect ratio for their home video releases.
I remember growing up watching movies like Friday the 13th Part III, Jaws 3-D, Emmanuelle 4, and Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare on video. All three films had 3D components in theaters which translated poorly to television. The moments of “I can tell that should be 3D” worsened each viewing experience.
I recently purchased my first 4k TV and had to go through great pains to find one that would continue to support my 3D Blu-Ray discs. It seems in the next five years any movie with great 3D, such as Avatar, Tron: Legacy, and X-Men: Apocalypse will only be seen in their flattened versions.
Even movies filmed in 2D, such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had effects sequences specifically designed in 3D to showcase the technology.
Home movie viewers will lose the ability to view many movies from the past decade as they were intended to be seen.
Final Thought
But overall, I believe 3D is a gimmick that more than ran its course. I applaud IMAX for choosing consumers over studios, and I hope that filmmakers now focus on plot and character depth, instead of manufactured depth on the screen.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments!
Deadpool, Disney, and Teen Titans in Upcoming Monogram International Blind Bagged Key Chains
Issue 176: Sweet Christmas 2016 – Black Friday & Holiday Shopping Guide!
Happy Thanksgiving, Marvelicious Toys listeners! And welcome to our 7th Annual Holiday Shopping Guide!In this issue Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin run down all the major Black Friday toy sales. Find out where to get Marvel Legends, movies, games, and other toys with the biggest savings! Then follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the best online Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals!Then the hosts, aided by the entire Marvelicious Toys team, run down the best Marvel themed gifts for 2016. With prices from $5 to $800, there’s something for fans of all ages and interests! What are the must have collectibles this year? Join us to find out!All this and a 2016 Toys For Tots Challenge in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!And don’t forget, while out shopping for the holidays, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/bqm8kh/MT176.mp3
Issue 175: Deadpool — I Am So Touching My Hot Toys Tonight
In a year that saw four Marvel Comics movies, including Civil War, Doctor Strange, and X-Men: Apocalypse only one came out of nowhere to turn the genre on its ear: Deadpool. Now, nine months later, Hot Toys has given birth to their Deadpool figure, based on the movie outfit. It’s sold out almost everywhere, but is the figure as good as the movie? Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie break the fourth wall to tell you!
Speaking of Marvel movies, Doctor Strange hit U.S. theaters last week. Our hosts give their impressions of the film, and how it fits in the Marvel Universe.With a tale of two Captain America shields from Hasbro, an expensive Spooktaculer, and Marvel Hot Toys figures under $100 shipped, it’s all in this loaded issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/x3b7jh/MT175.mp3
Issue 175: Deadpool — I Am So Touching My Hot Toys Tonight
In a year that saw four Marvel Comics movies, including Civil War, Doctor Strange, and X-Men: Apocalypse only one came out of nowhere to turn the genre on its ear: Deadpool. Now, nine months later, Hot Toys has given birth to their Deadpool figure, based on the movie outfit. It’s sold out almost everywhere, but is the figure as good as the movie? Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie break the fourth wall to tell you!
Speaking of Marvel movies, Doctor Strange hit U.S. theaters last week. Our hosts give their impressions of the film, and how it fits in the Marvel Universe.With a tale of two Captain America shields from Hasbro, an expensive Spooktaculer, and Marvel Hot Toys figures under $100 shipped, it’s all in this loaded issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/web/x3b7jh/MT175.mp3
Issue 174: People Are Strange When You’re a Doctor
It’s a magical time for Marvel fans! Next week Doctor Strange gets released to theaters across the US. It is already vexing audiences overseas. So to prepare for the new film, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie are reviewing the new Doctor Strange wave of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends. With three different versions of Strange himself, plus Nico, Brother Voodoo, Enchantress, Iron Fist, and more–and the build-a-figure Dormammu! Join them to find out which figures are repaints, which are new, and which you must have for your collection!
Also on this week’s show, the hosts review Hasbro’s Marvel Legends Electronic Iron Man Helmet. Plus looks at the new trailers for Logan and Guardians of the Galaxy 2, all in this special 100-minute issue of Marvelicious Toys!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/ppnm96/MT174.mp3
Issue 173: New York Comic Con 2016
This weekend saw over 160,000 fans converge at New York City’s Javitz Center. They were all there for one thing: New York Comic Con! Marvel fans found much to do, including getting autographs from John Bernthal and Evangeline Lilly, art from Adi Granov and Mark Brooks, and exclusive toys and comics galore!
For collectors NYCC holds lots of surprises. Hasbro revealed new Marvel Legends figures, Kotobukiya showed off their upcoming Bishoujo and Art-FX statues, plus displays by Sideshow, Mezco, NECA, and a dozen more companies. Even Cross Pens and Hallmark had new things for die-hard Marvel fans.
Marjorie and Arnie were on site all four days. In this issue of Marvelicious Toys you can see all the upcoming toy reveals. Plus join them for exclusive interviews with Kotobukiya, Hasbro, and John Tyler Christopher — the artist behind all the awesome action figure variant covers!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/ubfmq9/MT173.mp3
Issue 172: Pumpkin Spice Goblin
The Marvelicious Toys crew is back with Venom…in space! On this new podcast they review the Space Venom wave of Marvel Legends including two Ultimate Spider-Men, Silk, Electro, Ashley Barton Spider-Girl, and Hobgoblin!
Also, next week is New York Comic Con and Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin run down the exclusive toys you should hunt for at the con. And if you’re going to NYCC be sure to say “hi” to our hosts!
With a new thin crust Hot Toys figure and more, it’s in this new issue of Marvelicious Toys!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/ddj62f/MT172.mp3
Issue 171: Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/s5ff3k/MT171.mp3
Pre-Order Marvel Exclusives! One:12 Shadowland Daredevil and Sideshow’s Wolverine/Hulk Maquette plus X-Men Legends
A couple exclusive Marvel collectibles have gone up for order in the past couple das, and collectors should act fast if they want these items!
Mallardlicious Toys
August, 1986 was a landmark for Marvel Comics fans. After years of seeing DC heroes in theaters, Marvel struck back. The very first Marvel Comics movie was released by Lucasfilm, starring actors from Back to the Future, Amadeus, and Top Gun. Before there was Iron Man there was…Howard the Duck!!
Now celebrate 30 years of duckiness! Howard the Duck stars Lea Thompson and Ed Gale join Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin on this look back at the movie–and all the collectibles from it! Candy cigars, trading cards, View-Master slides, Laserdiscs, DVDs, video games, and more — all based on Lucasfilm’s adaptation of Howard.
They’re not just toys, they’re Mallardlicious!
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/mzx72j/MallardliciousToys.mp3
Issue 170: The Raft – JAILBREAK!
Abomination. Purple Man. Spider-Man. Enchantress. Sandman. Dread Knight.
What do these disparate Marvel Comics characters have in common? They
are the characters Hasbro bundled together in their 2016 San Diego
Comic-Con Exclusive Marvel Legends set — The Raft! They sold out at
the show and last Tuesday online, but now you can join the Marvelicious
Toys crew as they review these six figures! And they tell you how you
can get most of them soon.
Also
on this week’s show are reviews of the new Marvel Legends Role Play
Captain America shield. Priced at about $100, this is Hasbro’s first
entry into high end Marvel collectibles. There’s a metal shield coming
this Fall, but should you jump on the current (cheaper) version? Find
out on this show.
With
reviews of Jada Toys’ Black Widow figure, some great bargains on Marvel
Legends figures, and so much more, it’s all in this issue of
Marvelicious Toys!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/quiuke/MT170.mp3
Issue 169: Marvel Collecting at San Diego Comic-Con 2016
For Marvel collectors, keeping up with all the news out of 2016’s San Diego Comic-Con International can be overwhelming. Waves of new Legends from Hasbro, new Hot Toys sixth scale figures on display, Kotobukiya, Gentle Giant, Mezco, NECA, Sideshow Collectibles, and so much more!
If you couldn’t keep up, or if you want to experience the excitement of the convention, join Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin in this full-video coverage of San Diego Comic-Con! Recorded live on the floor, plus around the convention, the Marvelicious Toys hosts run down the most exciting news and reveals from the show!
Plus watch exclusive interviews with Hasbro, Gentle Giant, Kotobukiya, Jada Toys, and Diamond Select Toys.
It’s like being at the con without the sore back and tired feet! So watch this super-sized Marvelicious Toys show now!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/26iegg/MT169.mp3
Issue 168: The Collector’s Paradise
Two weeks from tonight begins San Diego Comic-Con International 2016! The reveals, the exclusives, the panels, the giveaways, the celebrities, and the fans! There covering all the new Marvel collecting news is the Marvelicious Toys team, and on this podcast they run down all the new exclusive reveals. Plus, they have a hands on review of the still unannounced Hasbro 3.75-inch exclusive set featuring The Collector, Cosmo the Spacedog, Moon boy, Lockjaw, and Howard the Duck. Find out if this is a set you’ll need to have in your collection.
Also on this week’s show, a look at a new and shiny Hot Toys exclusive Iron Man, a review of the Walgreens exclusive Marvel Legends Namor figure, and a Podbean backer picked review of a Deadpool collectible!
All that and more in this extra-long episode of the Marvelicious Toys Podcast!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/vwzq6z/MT168.mp3
Issue 167: Tickets to the Gun Show
Convention
season is in full effect! This past weekend saw major cons in D.C.,
Phoenix, and California. For our Marvelicious hosts Arnie and Marjorie,
however, the place to be was Philadelphia, PA — along with Lea
Thompson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper,
Stanley Tucci, and Tom Hiddleston! All these celebrities, and dozens
more, were gathered at Wizard World Philadelphia. On this show, hear a
report from the floor — the good, the bad, and the photo ops!
But
coming soon is the world’s bigest convention: San Diego Comic-Con
International! Every year the exclusives are enough to fill a room and
break the bank, and the reveals and pre-orders have already begun!
Kotobukiya, Mezco, Monogram International, and Diamond Select toys all
have revealed some or all of their offerings — and it appears Hasbro’s
3.75-inch Legends set has leaked to eBay! Listen to find out what has
been revealed and how much you should budget this year.
Finally,
on this show hear an overview of the new Marvel Legends 6-inch figures
put up for pre-order. Three new waves, X-Men, Spider-Man, and Captain
America, all went up for order–and one of those waves is already
selling out across the web!
All that and more in this jam-packed Marvelicious Toys Podcast!
And
don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We
need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular
full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: http://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/feed/ephtsg/MT167.mp3
This Summer NOW PLAYING is Now Playing in Theaters!
When Now Playing Podcast’s X-Men: Apocalypse episode arrived last week, it kick started a summer schedule stacked with week of release reviews for the 9-year-old show and its panel of hosts.
In a way, Now Playing is going back to the beginning.
Longtime listeners will remember the early days, when the show launched with the goal of reviewing a just released flick every week. Those 2007-08 era shows are notable for their shorter run times (the first Iron Man review runs a little more than 8 minutes) and films that would never fit in Now Playing Retrospective Series (reviews of Fever Pitch and 21 are standout examples).
Show creator and producer Arnie Carvalho reflected on that time. “The original idea for Now Playing was to be weekly, recorded off-the-cuff immediately after stepping out of a theater. There was to be no editing, just a ‘live on tape’ show. We’ve come a long way since those days. First came editing, then came retrospectives, then came lots of editing!”
Having established its popularity and found its footing with the first retrospective (for Friday the 13th) in 2009, the show has stuck to its celebrated formula – review every film in a series leading up to the latest release. In summer that usually means a handful of new release reviews wrapped inside the longer retrospectives. Summer 2015, for example, was largely dedicated to the Mad Max and Mission Impossible franchises, with appearances by Marvel heroes and that Terminator sequel we’ve all forgotten.
The summer slate that begins with the aforementioned X-Men review will see the hosts back in theaters for eight new releases over the next 11 weeks, reviewing everything from the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek sequels, to DC Comics’ Suicide Squad. Three new retrospective series’ will make their debuts this summer, with Matt Damon’s Bourne films taking up the most space on the calendar, and the Independence Day and Ghostbusters franchises offered as a bonus in Now Playing’s bi-annual donation drive.
“The shows we do within days of their US premiere are simply more difficult shows,” Carvalho said. “In three days or less we have to do research that would usually take a week. We have to coordinate our (busy) schedules to find weekend recording time. Then the editor has 20-40 hours of work to cram into just two days. But we are very excited to be doing the films we are, and our listeners match that anticipation, so all of the work is worth it. It looks like a good summer. Out of these eight movies, I’m very excited for six of them!”
Listeners may even be in for a surprise or two, the host hinted. What that means is anyone’s guess, as the calendar turns to June and Now Playing’s summer schedule is stacked through Suicide Squad. The current schedule can be seen at the show’s website, and if you look closely your eyes are not deceiving you – there are two reviews coming for The Bourne Identity. Listeners who love Now Playing’s completist approach to Hollywood franchises will be delighted to know there was a 1988 television movie adaptation of the story, starring a post-Alan Quatermain Richard Chamberlain and former Charlie’s Angel Jaclyn Smith. That should be good.
“Our listeners love when we go obscure. So Chamberlain in a mini-series that hews more closely to the original novel than the Damon films? We’re in!”
Issue 167: Tickets to the Gun Show
Convention season is in full effect! This past weekend saw major cons in D.C., Phoenix, and California. For our Marvelicious hosts Arnie and Marjorie, however, the place to be was Philadelphia, PA — along with Lea Thompson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, and Tom Hiddleston! All these celebrities, and dozens more, were gathered at Wizard World Philadelphia. On this show, hear a report from the floor — the good, the bad, and the photo ops!
But coming soon is the world’s bigest convention: San Diego Comic-Con International! Every year the exclusives are enough to fill a room and break the bank, and the reveals and pre-orders have already begun! Kotobukiya, Mezco, Monogram International, and Diamond Select toys all have revealed some or all of their offerings — and it appears Hasbro’s 3.75-inch Legends set has leaked to eBay! Listen to find out what has been revealed and how much you should budget this year.
Finally, on this show hear an overview of the new Marvel Legends 6-inch figures put up for pre-order. Three new waves, X-Men, Spider-Man, and Captain America, all went up for order–and one of those waves is already selling out across the web!
All that and more in this jam-packed Marvelicious Toys Podcast!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/ephtsg/MT167.mp3
Pre-Order Alert: Hot Toys Scarlet Witch MMS – Civil War Version
Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War has been critically acclaimed and enjoyed by audience around the world since its release! As the Avengers’ actions in Lagos have caused collateral damage where innocent people are killed, the Sokovia Accords proposed by the United Nations has divided the Earth’s mightiest heroes into opposing teams led by Captain America and Iron Man!
Today Hot Toys put up for pre-order the 1/6th scale collectible figure of the gorgeous and powerful member of Team Cap –Scarlet Witch!
The highly-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in the film featuring head sculpt with long curly brown real fabric hair and new makeup application, brand-new and specially tailored costume, interchangeable hands with red translucent fingertips and effect accessories to simulate Scarlet Witch using her powers, and an Captain America: Civil War themed figure stand. Furthermore, an approximately 2.5cm tall miniature running Ant-Man is included as a bonus accessory!
Do not miss out on the opportunity to add the stunning new Scarlet Witch to your collection today!
Hot Toys – MMS370 – Captain America: Civil War – 1/6th scale Scarlet Witch Collectible Figure Specification
~ Movie Masterpiece Series ~
The 1/6th scale Scarlet Witch Collectible Figure features:
- – Authentic and detailed likeness of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in Captain America: Civil War
- – Head sculpt with movie-accurate facial expression, new makeup application, and long curly light-brown real fabric hair implantation
- – Body with over 28 points of articulations
- – Approximately 28 cm tall
- – Seven (7) pieces of interchangeable gloved hands including:
- – One (1) pair of relaxed hands
- – One (1) pair of hands with red translucent fingertips for power-using effects accessories
- – One (1) gesturing right hand with red translucent fingertips
- – Two (2) gesturing left hands with red translucent fingertips
- – Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted
Costume :
- – One (1) red colored top
- – One (1) red colored leather-like coat
- – One (1) pair of black leather-like pants
- – One (1) pair of black boots
- Accessories:
- – One (1) necklace
- – Two (2) types of power effects accessories
- – Captain America: Civil War themed Team Captain America figure stand with character’s nameplate and the movie logo
Bonus Accessory:
- – One (1) miniature Ant-Man in running position (Approximately 2.5cm tall)
Are you bewitched yet? Then head over and order now!
Issue 166: I Can Do This All Day
Captain America: Civil War is a bona fide blockbuster, but more importantly it was a great movie! This superhero monster mash had action and heart. But now that we’ve seen the movie, it’s time to talk about the toys! Join Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin on this Marvelicious Toys Podcast as they review the Giant Man wave of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends, including the Civil War incarnations of Cap, Iron Man, Black Panther, and Scott Lang Giant Man.
Also on this week’s show, the hosts look at the new pre-orders for the Iron Studios’ Black Panther, S.H. Figuarts’ Tony Stark (from Iron Man 3), and more!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/8a7b7t/MT166.mp3
Issue 165: Push It. Push It Real Good!
Salt and Pepper’s here, and they’re pushing it with awesome quarter-scale, high quality custom statues–with exceedingly low production numbers. Spider-Gwen, Magneto, Spider-Ham, Captain Marvel, and more have been released. Marjorie and Arnie just got their hands on the Spider-Gwen — listen in for a full review!
Also on this week’s show, it’s CIVIL WAR! Arnie and Justin are #TeamIronMan, and Marjorie is #TeamCap. How do the three get along after seeing the new Captain America movie? Listen to see if they fight their way out of this one.
With a new (ish) wave of Marvel Legends only available in the UK, more chase Funko POP! Deadpools, a look at the new Civil War Legends 3-Pack, and so much more, it’s all in this new issue of Marvelicious Toys!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/gyf9ca/MT165.mp3
Issue 164: we know we’ll get more hits if we put SPIDER-GWEN in the title
Call this episode of Mavelicious Toys “Bounty” because we’re all about absorption! Join Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin as they provide hands-on reviews of all 8 figures in the Marvel Legends wave of Spider-Man themed figures and an Absorbing Man Crusher Creel Build-A-Figure. From Morbius to Beetle, Venom to Jack-O-Lantern, and the super-popular SPIDER-GWEN, we review them all!
Also on this week’s show, a look forward to Captain America: Civil War! It’s out next weekend, and the hosts are hyped. Find out about even more exclusives from Funko and your local movie theater.
With a silly hunt for Playmation figures, three new burning hot Hot Toys, and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys podcast!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/v537yb/MT164.mp3
Issue 163: I Have Protection
This episode of Marvelicious Toys is jam-packed with collecting and convention goodness!
First, join Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin as they look at the recent conventions — Wizard World St. Louis, Wizard World Madison, Emerald City Comic-Con, and even a look ahead to San Diego Comic-Con International!
Then the hosts go to Civil War over all the new toys and products being released. From a bevy of food tie-ins to Hasbro’s Titan Hero figures to Jada Toys Die-Cast Cap and Iron Man, it’s all covered in this show.
Plus Hot Toys has two new figures up for pre-order: Ant-Man and Black Panther! Those are covered, along with the upcoming exclusive Deadpool Blu-ray sets, Diamond Select Toys’ new Retro Deadpool and Disney Exclusive Spider-Man Select, and more.
To top it all off, this show reviews not one but two high-end Hulk vs Hulkbuster Age of Ultron sets — the Cosbaby three-pack from Hot Toys, and the Egg Attack exclusive set.
All this and a in-depth discussion on protecting your POPS, it’s all in this Marvelicious Toys podcast!
And don’t forget, Marvelicious Toys needs your help to keep operating. We need to add new team members and hopefully bring back the regular full-video episodes. To support our show and get exclusive rewards Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/fvghmm/MT163.mp3
Issue 162: C2E 2 Illigit to Quit! — Video Podcast
Last weekend at Chicago’s C2E2 convention was a rare gathering of Arnie, Marjorie, Justin, and other Marvelicious Team Members. Together they shopped, they chatted, and they partied with some listeners. Of course, they also recorded a new episode of Marvelicious Toys!Gathered in person, our hosts looked at the Square Enix Variant Play Arts Kai figures. Standing about 10-inches tall, they reviewed Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Iron Man, and Venom! But there’s a twist…! After recording the hosts found out half the figures were Chinese bootlegs! So after the con the team reconvened to compare these fakers with the real deal, and tell YOU how to spot the difference! It’s all in this mega-episode of Marvelicious Toys!This episode of Marvelicious Toys is a full video episode–but those will be the exception going forward. To bring back the full video shows we need listener help to keep the show growing! Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/fvghmm/MT162.mp3v
Issue 161: Bark at the Moon
To build up to Captain America: Civil War Hasbro has released a new wave of Marvel Legends themed for that first Avenger. Agent 13, Mockingbird, Captain America, Taskmaster, and others gather to build the giant figure of Red Skull as Onslaught. On this issue of Marvelicious Toys, Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin review all eight figures in this wave and tell you which are worth the hunt!
Plus the Marvelicious Toys team is ready for March Marvel Madness! Every day from now through April 5, heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be going head to head, and you decide who wins! Can Winter Soldier take Luke Cage in a fight? Is Star-Lord able to overcome Rocket Raccoon? Head to VenganzaMedia.com each day to cast your vote. You can even download your own bracket to make your predictions!
With C2E2 and more to come, it’s all in this new issue of Marvelicious Toys!
And we need listener help to keep the show growing! Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean.
Arnie C: https://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/ertcan/MT161.mp3
March Marvel Madness Will Prove Which Hero is Mightiest
Since the dawn of heroes, fans worldwide have speculated about who would win a head-to-head match…
“Captain America would win a fight with Daredevil!”
“Hulk would win a fight with Iron Man!”
“Howard the Duck would win a fight with Vision!”
Now, you get the final word.
It’s bigger than Civil War! It’s bigger than Secret Wars! It’s Venganza Media’s Marvel Madness!
We’re pitting the stars of Marvel’s cinematic and television universes against each other in a bracket battle for the ages, and YOU will decide the victor! Fill out your bracket, choose the winners, and vote here on the Venganza Media Gazette. As heroes fall, the field of 32 will be whittled down until the champion is crowned on April 4.
Post your bracket at the Marvelicious Toys and Now Playing Podcast Facebook pages, and tell everyone why you think Maria Hill will win it all! Really, if you’ve got Hill going No. 1 we must know why.
LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!
Today’s Matches:
Issue 160: Feelin’ Grooty
The list has leaked! Circulating the internet has been a rumor list of all the Marvel Legends figures Hasbro has planned for 2016, including Venom: Space Knight, Eel, and more! Join us as we run down the list of all the possible figures in your future!
Also on this show, Factory Entertainment proved themselves the company to watch at Toy Fair this year. With their Captain America and Deadpool motion statues, Daredevil and Spider-Man walking sticks, and Jim Lee monolith, they were taking statue collecting in exciting new areas.
Now, to follow up on the Toy Fair report, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie look at Factory Entertainment’s Dancing Groot Premium Motion Statue. A full-scale replica, with a bit of motion in his pot, join the Marvelicious hosts to find out how Groot influences their future orders!
And finally, this weekend was Wizard World Cincinatti, where the mighty Chris Hemsworth came to sign autographs, pose for photos, and answer fan questions. Marjorie and Arnie were on hand for the event. They run down the shopping, the celebrities, and more!
All this plus a power-ful Captain America shield and a Marvel Collector Corps unboxing in this jam-packed issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Want more bonus Marvelicious Toys shows? We need listener help to keep the show growing! Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean.
Arnie C: http://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/5ipjze/MT160.mp3
Issue 159: Toy Fair 2016 Pt 2 — Kotobukiya, Mezco, and more!
With Hasbro, Hot Toys, Comicave Studios, Ban Dai, Tamashii Nations, and others, Marvel action figure collectors have a wide selection of lines. But the choice is about to get more difficult as Mezco joins the scene! Their One:12 Collective line of figures are 6.5-inch scale, well articulated, highly detailed, and clothed in amazing soft goods. Join Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin as they tell you why this is their most exciting new reveal at Toy Fair 2016! And watch an exclusive interview with One:12 Project Manager Pierre Kalenzaga!
Also in this show is even more Toy Fair International coverage. Kotobukiya gives us an exclusive reveal on their new Spider-Man Art-FX+ line. Diamond Select Toys shows off new Marvel Select figures, Minimates, statues, and their new PVC line. Uncle Milton unlocks the secrets of the universe, and Monogram International has a heavy reveal.
Get all this information and more in this giant-sized bonus issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Want more bonus Marvelicious Toys shows? We need listener help to keep the show growing! Check out our crowdfunding campaign, live now on PodBean.
Arnie C: http://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/vysaz9/MT159.mp3
Issue 158: Toy Fair 2016 Pt 1 — Hasbro, LEGO, Comicave, and more!
Hasbro has done the stuff of LEGENDS at the 2016 Toy Fair International in New York City! They have announced 4 different toy lines, all with the name of “Legends” — 3.75-inch scale, 6-inch scale, 12-inch scale, and life-sized prop replicas! Confusing? Join Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin as they sort it all out and discuss the best new toys coming later this year!
Also on this show, LEGO has a bridge to sell you — and it has a taxi hanging off of it! The hosts go through the cool new Civil War, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Avengers LEGO sets on display at Toy Fair.
With a look at new offerings from Comicave Studios, new Re:Edit figures, and more — it’s all in this LEGENDS issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://marvelicious.podbean.com/mf/play/egizq6/MT158.mp3
Diamond Select Toys Gives A Preview of Toy Fair Releases
Toy Fair
2016 is still 2 days away, but Diamond Select Toys has already given a preview of some new things they’ll have on display!
For Marvel Select collectors, no news may be more welcome than the confirmation of a rerelease of the Carnage Select action figure. This detailed figure barely showed up in comic stores, and has spiked as high as $80 on eBay! Now this 8-inch figure is coming back, giving you an extra chance to grab him. Carnage has 16 points of articulation, three interchangeable heads, swappable weapon hands, and removable tendrils that let you customize your figure’s appearance. He will retail for $24.99.
In addition to that welcome reissue, Diamond also announced new Marvel products in their Statue, PVC, and Minimates line:
Marvel Gallery Spider-Gwen 9” PVC Figure
A Diamond Select Toys release! One of the most exciting new characters in the Marvel Universe is now part of one of its most exciting new collectible lines! The Amazing Spider-Gwen, a spider-powered, hard-rocking Gwen Stacy from a parallel universe, gets the Gallery treatment with this 9-inch scale static PVC figure! Posed on the side of a New York brownstone, Spider-Gwen is sculpted with a high level of detail and exacting paint applications. Packaged in a full-color window box, she is in scale to other Gallery and Femme Fatales PVC figures. Sculpted by Jean St. Jean!
PVC Figure SRP: $45.00
Marvel Minimates Series 67 Civil War 2-Packs Asst.
A Diamond Select Toys release! Get ready for Round 2! The action of Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War continues with a second assortment of Minimates mini-figures based on the film! In this next batch of two-packs, Battle-Damaged Captain America takes on Battle-Damaged Iron Man, Black Widow meets Crossbones, Agent 13 faces an evil Thug and a rare, one-per-case variant set pairs Secretary Ross with another Thug! Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure features 14 points of articulation, as well as character-appropriate accessories and fully interchangeable parts. Designed by Art Asylum!
2-Pack SRP: $9.99/ea.
Marvel Premier Collection Rogue 12” Resin Statue
A Diamond Select Toys release! This is the statue you’ve been waitin’ for, shugah! The Marvel Premier Collection continues its tour of the icons of the Marvel Universe with this statue of the X-Men’s Southern belle, Rogue! Depicted in mid-flight, the power-stealing sweetheart is wearing her fan-favorite 1990s yellow-and-green costume, with leather jacket, and measures approximately 12” tall. Limited to only 3,000 pieces, this numbered resin statue is packaged with a certificate of authenticity in a full-color box. Sculpted by Clayburn Moore!
Statue SRP: $150.00
All these items and more will be on display to wholesale buyers and press at New York’s Toy Fair International! Stay tuned to Marvelicious Toys, as well as our Facebook and Twitter feeds, for all the updates right from the show!
Issue 157: I Aint ‘Fraid of No Hulk!
Marvel Legends show no sign of slowing down! The new Absorbing Man wave of figures is on pegs across the country, and the Onslaught wave is close behind! But before the Marvelicious Toys hosts can get to these new ones, they have some old business to attend to–the Hulkbuster wave! Join them on this Marvelicious Toys as they look at the final wave of 2015 with Iron Man, War Machine, Thundra, Blizzard, and more!
But that’s not the only Mark featured this show. Just shipping now is the new Play Imaginative Die Cast Iron Man Mk 38 — the IGOR Armor! Produced by Comicave Studios, is this 8.5-inch beast worth adding to your heavy metal house party? Find out in this show!
With an update on the Art of Daredevil and Jessica Jones books, clearance sales across the country, a Deadpool Hot Toys and more, it’s all in this Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT157.mp3
Pre-Order Alert: Two new Premium Format statues from Sideshow – Hulk and Dark Phoenix!
Like a super-villain attacking your wallet, Sideshow Collectibles has just put up for order two new Premium Format Figures: Jean Gray’s Dark Phoenix and Hulk from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
These two statues are incredibly detailed, gorgeous pieces. But each carries with it a Hulk-sized price tag.
At $500 each, my number of Premium Format statue purchases will go down. That said, I love, and I’ve already ordered, the Dark Phoenix statue. With her fiery base and the exclusive Jean Gray swappable head, plus such an iconic character from what is arguably Claremont’s best story arc, this one is (barely) worth the price.
However, I have to go the other way on the Hulk. It was the movie-themed Premium Formats that got me into Sideshow Premium Format Figures to begin with. Black Widow, Captain America, and even the Avengers Hulk Maquette were all amazing. However, this new Hulk is $750 — $100 more than the Avengers Hulk, and $200 more than the (still up for pre-order) comic-based Hulk Premium Format Figure announced last year.
I will admit, I could have been swayed into buying this Age of Ultron Hulk if, like Phoenix, the exclusive piece was amazing. Perhaps if they included a red-eyed Rampaging Hulk head, or a hand holding a piece of Iron Man armor. But no, the exclusive piece isn’t a must-have; to me it’s actually a turn-off. 
Hearkening back to the exclusive Legendary Scale Busts of previous years, this Hulk’s exclusive piece is a… nameplate. Now, I know I can choose not to display this piece since I already know who this character is, but it’s certainly not an enticement to pre-order.
I may still get Hulk pre-ordered once edition sizes are announced, but unless the edition size is 500 or less for the regular edition, I’ll be holding off and hoping for a Spooktacular deal on this overpriced piece in October, 2017.
I always appreciate anyone who’s ordering from Sideshow using our links and supporting Marvelicious Toys, but I find it hard to endorse a $750 version of a character (that MarvelToyNews.com pointed out…it looks like he’s bowling).
You can pre-order (and flex pay, as I did on Phoenix) both of these statues now:
Pre-Order Alert: Hot Toys Deadpool
Marvel’s most unconventional superhero, Deadpool, will finally hit the silver screen in full glory with his over-the-top personality, dark twisted sense of humor, and tendency to break the fourth wall which fans have always loved! Today, Hot Toys has put up for pre-order the one and only 1/6thscale Deadpool collectible figure based on the upcoming Deadpool movie!
In this new film, the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson will be unfolded, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
The movie-accurate collectible figure is specially crafted based on the image of Deadpool from the film. It features a newly developed masked head sculpt with 5 pairs of interchangeable eye pieces to create numerous combinations of Deadpool’s expressions, newly developed body, meticulously tailored Deadpool suit with weathering effects, Deadpool’s signature katanas and pistols, variety of interchangeable hands with gestures, and a specially designed Deadpool themed dynamic figure stand perfect for aerial poses.
You just can’t pass up on this opportunity to add the beloved Merc with a Mouth to your collection and witness the beginning of a happy ending.
Please kindly find the attached photos and spec below for your reference.
Hot Toys – MMS347 – Deadpool: 1/6th scale Deadpool Collectible Figure Specification
~ Movie Masterpiece Series ~
The 1/6th scale Deadpool Collectible Figure’s special features:
- – Authentic and detailed likeness of Deadpool in Deadpool movie
- – One (1) Deadpool head with five (5) pairs of interchangeable eye pieces that can create numerous combinations of Deadpool’s expressions
- – Approximately 31 cm tall
- – Newly developed body with over 30 points of articulation
- – Twelve (12) pieces of interchangeable gloved hands including:
- – One (1) pair of fists
- – One (1) pair of relaxed hands
- – One (1) pair of katana holding hands
- – One (1) pair for gun holding hands
- – One (1) pair of finger pointing hands
- – One (1) thumb-up right hand
- – One (1) OK sign left hand
- – Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted
Costume :
- – One (1) specially tailored red and black colored Deadpool suit with weathering effects
- – One (1) brown colored leather-like belt
- – One (1) pair of thigh gun holsters
- – One (1) dagger sheath on shin
- – One (1) pair of red and black colored boots
Weapons:
- – One (1) dagger
- – Two (2) metal katanas
- – Two (2) pistols
- – Two (2) shurikens
Accessories:
- – One (1) pair of katana sheath
- – Specially designed Deadpool emblem dynamic figure stand with Deadpool nameplate and the movie logo
Check out these gorgeous shots of Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth. Then order now, touch yourself tonight!
Issue 156: Toys of Future Past 2015 Part 1
2015 was a great year for collectors! Dozens of new Marvel Legends figures arrived on store pegs. Long-promised 3.75-inch scale Marvel Infinite Series figures finally joined your collection. Plus movie figures tying into Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.
Now it’s time for Marvelicious Toys’ annual Toys of Future Past show! This year Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin are joined by Scott from the Action Figure Blues podcast, and Dabid from Marvel Toy News, and other Marvelicious team members. Join them as they look back at one Legend-ary year!
Arnie C: http://marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT156.mp3
Issue 155: Toys of Future Past 2015 Part 1
2015 was a great year for collectors! Dozens of new Marvel Legends figures arrived on store pegs. Long-promised 3.75-inch scale Marvel Infinite Series figures finally joined your collection. Plus movie figures tying into Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.
Now it’s time for Marvelicious Toys’ annual Toys of Future Past show! This year Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin are joined by Scott from the Action Figure Blues podcast, and Dabid from Marvel Toy News, and other Marvelicious team members. Join them as they look back at one Legend-ary year!
Arnie C: http://marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT155.mp3
Issue 154: Play Imaginative – The Die is Cast
Marvelicious Toys awarded Play Imaginative’s one-twelfth line “Best in Show” at San Diego Comic-Con. No other company had as fresh a display, as attractive a price-point, and as high quality an item. The only problem is…that was San Diego Comic-Con in 2013.
In the years since Play Imaginative has put out figures in the one-quarter and one-sixth scale, but their six-inch figures faced one delay after another.
But finally the figures have shipped! Iron Man Mark 42, War Machine Mk 2, Iron Man Mark 40 (Shotgun Amor) and Iron Patriot — all have started shipping worldwide. And Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie have them in hand! Were they worth the wait? And are there quality issues with the figures? Watch this episode to find out!
With a rundown of some great bargains (and even better Toys For Tots donations), a new Hot Toys Iron Man, and more, it’s all in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT154.mp3
Issue 153: Sweet Christmas 2015 – Holiday Gift Guide & Black Friday Sales
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Marvelicious Toys community!
While your family rehashes bad memories and watches football we give you our 6th annual Sweet Christmas Holiday Gift Guide. Do you have a Marvel collector in your life and are stumped for a gift? Or do you want to give your loved ones ideas for gifts for you? Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin give dozens of gift ideas here in this show. From stocking stuffers to action figures to high end statues and figures, the whole range is in this guide!
Plus the Black Friday sales are about to start. As early as 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning stores are starting their deep discounts for the holiday season. What bargains are worth braving stores for Marvel collectors? Listen to find out.
And be sure you get, and give, a Marvel themed gift this year! Our annual holiday gift X-Change registration is open. Sign up before Dec 2 to join in this fun Secret Santa type fun. Find out all the details and sign up now.
Arnie C: http://marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT153.mp3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 152: Karma Chameleon
The holiday shopping season started November 1st, and that means a bevvy of new Marvel Legends figures on store pegs! Plus deep discounts on the new waves from Amazon, including the Rhino wave. On this week’s show Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie look at the eight new figures in this set: Scarlet Spider, Superior Venom, Ghost Rider, Kraven the Hunter, Chameleon, Misty Knight, White Tiger, and Rhino!
Plus a bonus Legends review of Pepper Potts’ armored identity Rescue. The figure was exclusive with a 2016 Marvel Unlimited subscription. How does the figure compare to the one teased at 2013’s SDCC? Listen to find out.
And from the biggest figures to the smallest, the Walgreens exclusive Diamond Select Toys’ Marvel Minimates are showing up. On this show get quick reviews of the four packs released thus far, including Venom, Hulk, Crossbones, Rocket Raccoon, and more! Then we run down the next four packs coming soon.
With news on Play Imaginative, the first Hot Toys figure with wrinkled hands, and more, it’s all in this gala 5th Anniversary issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://traffic.libsyn.com/venganzamedia/MT152.mp3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 151: You Can Do Magik
Magik was all around us at San Diego Comic-Con…as thousands of Marvel collectors picked up their Book of Vishanti set of Marvel Legends. Featuring five figures found nowhere else, this set comes with a translucent “astral projection” Dr. Strange, his long time enemy Dormammu, former Sorcerer Supereme Brother Voodoo, Hela the Norse goddess of the underworld, and Strange’s pupil Magik of the X-Men. On this issue of Marvelicious Toys the hosts conjure up a review of this set!
With a review of the Walgreens exclusive yellow-and-brown Daredevil Legends figure, new Art-FX+ statues from Kotobukiya, and a chance to win a Marvel mini-bust from Gentle Giant, it’s all in this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Arnie C: http://traffic.libsyn.com/venganzamedia/MT151.mp3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 150: YOU Have a Hulk
Kotobukiya’s Art-FX+ statues have always been great for Marvel collectors. Detailed, affordable, gorgeous, and sized perfectly so you can put a group together on one shelf, this line of vinyl figurines has been many collectors’ first foray into high-end collecting. But in 2015 they have released their best set yet — the Hulkbuster and Hulk from Age of Ultron! In this issue of Marvelicious Toys Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie review these newly released statues, as well as the Entertainment Earth Exclusive Rampaging Hulk statue variant!
And you can win one of the Entertainment Earth exclusive Hulk statues! Watch this week’s show, then head over to the contest to enter!
Also on this week’s show is the complete coverage of all the New York Comic-Con reveals! Find out about the new Legends figures, 6 and 3.75 inch, headed your way!
Arnie C: http://traffic.libsyn.com/venganzamedia/MT150.mp3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 149: Legends of Ant-Man Part Two
On the last episode of Marvelicious Toys the hosts reviewed all the Marvel Legends Ant-Man figures. Now they continue reviewing the latest Marvel Comics Ant-Man figures.
First, they review the San Diego Comic-Con Ant-Man box set. Is it a Marvel Universe set? Marvel Legends? Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie debate that topic and tell you if collectors should hunt this exclusive down on eBay!
Then they look at the smallest Marvel SDCC exclusive from Hasbro yet — the Ant-Man figure in the matchbox. Find out what completists need to know about this tiny toy!
With a look at the upcoming Rhino and Hulkbuster waves of legends, a deal of Figuarts Avengers, a report from Wizard World, and so much more, it’s all in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://traffic.libsyn.com/venganzamedia/MT149.mp3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 148: Legends of Ant-Man
Ant-Man was yet another feather in Marvel’s cap – a solid film that entertained most people. Now on Marvelicious Toys, Justin, Marjorie and Arnie look to see if the toys match the quality of the film!
In this first part of a 2-podcast series, the Marvelicious hosts review all eight of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends figure released under the Ant-Man logo: Ant-Man, Wasp, Bulldozer, Tiger Shark, Grim Reaper, and Giant Man and then the Build-a-Figure: the movie version of Ultron!
The eighth Legend figure is the Walgreens exclusive Eric O’Grady version of Ant-Man in his black suit.
Hear reviews of all these figures, plus more more collectibles news and updates in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Then come back in 2 weeks as we look at the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Ant-Man figures
Arnie C: http://traffic.libsyn.com/venganzamedia/MT148.output.mp3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 147: What a Box of A-Holes
Guardians of the Galaxy was a smash hit film, bringing these comic characters into the spotlight like never before. In addition to a number of comics and an upcoming animated series, the Guardians have new toys in the form of an Entertainment Earth exclusive box set. On this issue of Marvelicious Toys Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie review this set, tell you what’s new and what’s reused, and if you should buy this box of A-Holes!
Also in this week’s show, Pepper Potts gets her own Hot Toys figure, details on the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Blu-Ray releases, and a chance to win a Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Set!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT147.MP3
SDCC 2015 Exclusives Up For Order NOW at HasbroToyShop.com
Update 11am: The Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper is sold out; sold out in well under 10 minutes.
The Marvel Legends Dr. Strange set is also sold out.
Update 11:30 a.m.: The $9.99 Ant-Man Mini Action Figure is sold out. The Ant-Man 5 pack is still available.
Hasbro has put several of its San Diego Comic-Con toys up for order now at HasbroToyShop.com
Up for order right now are exclusives including:
- Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper
- Marvel Legends’ Dr. Strange Book of Vishanti 5 figure set with 6-inch scaled figures of:
- Dr. Strange (translucent blue astral projection version)
- Brother Voodoo
- Magik
- Hela
- Dormammu
- Hasbro’s Ant-Man figure pack with 5 figures:
- Giant-Man
- Hank Pym in lab coat
- Goliath
- Micro size Scott Lang Ant-Man
- Micro size Hank Pym Ant-Man
- Hasbro’s mini Ant-Man figure in “Matchbox” packaging
At San Diego Comic-Con there were few exclusives as sought after as those at Hasbro’s Toy Shop. On preview night people were assaulted and robbed while trying to get the Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper or the Magic: The Gathering set.
But no matter if you were at the con in the midst of the fray, or safe at home watching from afar, this online sale is a chance for you to get some of the exclusive Hasbro toys without paying eBay scalper fees (or being punched in the face).
So hurry to HasbroToyShop.com and good luck in scoring the exclusives you want!
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 146: A Tour of the SDCC Show Floor!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT146.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 145: We Want the Funko (2015 SDCC Exclusives)
One week from tonight it’s Preview Night at San Diego Comic-Con. There will be plenty of news, reveals, celebrities, and more — but most of all there will be exclusives!
On this issue of Marvelicious Toys Marjorie, Arnie, and guest host Geof run down the full list (so far) of exclusive items from this year’s big show. If you’re going to the convention, which items should you buy first? If you’re not going, what items can you buy online (and which will command top dollar on eBay)? It’s all revealed in this issue!
So watch this week’s new show, and join us next week on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube as we bring all the news from the show itself!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT145.MP3
Pre-Order Alert: Sideshow EXCLUSIVE Wolverine – Premium Format Figure
Sideshow is the best there is at what they do…and what they do is make incredibly detailed quarter-scale statues!
The next offer from Sideshow is the Premium Format Wolverine! This statue goes back to the character’s first solo series — the Japan saga by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, a longtime fan favorite story that defined the character for decades and even inspired the movie The Wolverine.
This Sideshow statue shows Logan atop a snow-capped bridge that is riddled by enemy arrow-fire. With the base this short X-Man stands 20-inches tall!
The statue also comes with swappable heads so you can display him masked or unmasked, both with fierce, feral expressions. And if you hurry to get Sideshow’s Exclusive Edition you can swap his right hand as well – show him with adamantium claws drawn or with the exclusive Muramasa Blade accessory!
You can check out detailed 360-degree photos, close-ups and more at Sideshow’s site, so go check it out! (And if your wallet has a mutant healing factor, place your order!)
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 144: Welcome Back, Mego!
Mego action figures were the start of collecting, and comic book love, for many collectors from Generation X. With the soft goods outfits, removable boots, varied accessories and more, these figures have become harder to find but that doesn’t stop collectors from trying. But now Diamond Select Toys has the license to reproduce classic Mego action figures! The first three are out – Spider-Man, Captain America, and one never made in the classic Mego line: Wolverine! In addition to being nostalgic throw-backs, DST is also including upgraded outfits and alternate outfits, all expanding the Mego line while paying homage.
On this issue of Marvelicious Toys, Marjorie and Justin join long-time Mego lover Arnie to review these three figures. Joint hem to find out if these are faithful representations, and if the toys are just for older collectors or for everyone!
But while older collectors love the toys of their youth, younger fans prefer the simple pleasures — such as Hasbro’s Titan Hero Tech figures. On this issue the hosts review three of the Age of Ultron Titan Tech figures, as well as the two Entertainment Earth exclusive Titan Heroes: Hawkeye and Iron Legion!
With a preview of this year’s hottest San Diego Comic-Con exclusives and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT144.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 143: Marvel’s X-Tinction Agenda
Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin are back with a jam-packed new episode of Marvelicious Toys!
On this show we tell you where you can find the latest Marvel Legends, including Daredevil, Spider-Woman, and Hulk! Plus we look forward to some new Hasbro figures on the horizon. Plus a look at several new online orders, including Hot Toys’ Vision, Iron Legion, and Iron Man Mk 45, and Sideshow Collectibles’ new Premium Format Spider-Man statue. With a look at the most exclusive Hulkbuster toy yet, and review of Marvel’s new Secret Wars action figure comic covers, it’s all in this jam-packed issue!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT143.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 142: Leapin’ Legends!
Tomorrow the Age of Ultron begins as the biggest Marvel movie of Phase II hits theaters! To celebrate, we bring you a special, bonus Marvelicious Toys show with plenty of Avengers assembled!
Hasbro’s newest Marvel Legends figures tie into Age of Ultron as the movie likenesses of Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man ship with comic-based Hellcat, Spider-Woman and Batroc. Get all six and you build the mad titan Thanos! Join Arnie, Justin, and Marjorie for reviews of all seven figures in this wave!
And also in this show, Marjorie & Arnie attended C2E2 in Chicago this weekend! From the vendors to artist’s alley to the autograph hall, they run down the experience, and recall a purchase that (Hulk)busted Arnie’s wallet!
With two new Hot Toys and an Age of Ultron S.H. Figuarts that’s even harder to assemble than the other Avengers, it’s all in this bonus Marvelicious Toys!
Plus follow @thearniec on Twitter as he attends the 11 movie AMC Marvel marathon! He’ll be tweeting the experience on Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT142.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 141: The Legends of Daredevil
In this issue there is a totally new Marvelicious Toys team-up! With Marjorie and Arnie crossing over to another series (Star Wars Action News) Justin joins forces with Geof to host this week’s episode of Marvelicious Toys!
In this episode the dynamic hosting duo look at the new Avengers: Age of Ultron figures coming from Ban Dai’s S.H. Figuarts line! Geof’s superpower is his focus on international toys and so he helps you figure out if these foreign figures are worth your dollar!
But then Marjorie and Arnie cameo to join Justin for a review that will make you crawl the walls–Hasbro’s Spider-Man wave of Marvel Legends! With Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Girl, Spider-Woman, and Anti-Venom, these figures are hitting stores now and we review them all! Plus in the wave is Daredevil–star of the new Netflix series!
With a look at the new toys hitting stores, a review of Spaghetti Webz accessories, and more, it’s all in this jam-packed Marvelicious Toys show!
Then join us next Wendesday for a bonus Avengers: Age of Ultron episode with even more Marvel Legends reviews!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT141.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 140: Agents of CHiPs!
In the original Avengers films the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Phil Coulson, loomed large. Yet none of those characters received any attention in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line–until now! With the upcoming sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron Toys R Us is now selling the exclusive Legends 3-pack with those characters! Join the Agents of Marvelicious, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie, to find out if this set should be on your Most Wanted list!
But Age of Ultron is not confined to the toy aisle–it’s coming everywhere! Tie-ins are hitting hard in cereals, snack foods, and breakfast waffles. The biggest tie-in is Doritos with their numerous chip bags – one flavor for each Avenger, creating a conundrum for food packaging collectors. The hosts review and evaluate if these are collectibles they’re hungry for.
With a Spider-Man plushie that brings a special package, the largest scale Hot Toys figure to date, and more, it’s all in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT140.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 139: Gone Groot’n
In two months Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters–but the toys are here! New figures are hitting stores harder than a Hulkbuster hits a Hulk! Marvel Legends, Funko POP! vinyls and Dorbs, and more are at retail–and in collectors’ hands! On this Marvelicious Toys hosts Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie run down their latest finds and tell you the best places to shop for the newest figures!
It’s not just the stores getting hit, online sales are burning up! Hot Toys has released their Hawkeye and Black Widow figures from Age of Ultron, plus a series of Cosbabies from the new film! Plus Iron Man III armors still showing up, and more!
With a report from the Indiana Comic-Con, a Rocket Raccoon sighting at the Toy Man Toy Show, and a slip of the tongue you won’t soon forget, it’s all in this episode of Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT139.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 138: Thunder, Thunder, Thunder God — HO!
As Age of Ultron draws near the toys are hitting stores hard! Toys R Us and Targets are full of new Marvel Legends…but are they worth buying? On this issue of Marvelicious Toys the Allfather wave of Marvel Legends are reviewed. Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Machine Man, Iron Fist, and Sentry–and get them all to build Odin or King Thor! Watch for reviews of all nine characters!
Also on this week’s show we look at the new releases from Hot Toys, both the Hulk and the Hulkbuster! This new Iron Man armor is the biggest Hot Toys figure in the Marvel line–and the most expensive. Is it worth it? Listen to find out!
With a review of the only Jubilee statue ever made–the Kotobukiya Bishoujo statue, a look at the new Age of Ultron trailer, a discussion of the 11-movie Avengers marathon and more! It’s all in this giant-sized Marvelicious Toys!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT138.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 136: Toy Fair 2015 Part 2 – Funko, Diamond, and More!
Toy Fair International is where all the toymakers preview all the new figures, toys, and collectibles that will be released throughout the year. For Marvel collectors there was some great news in regards to announcements based on Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and, of course, the comics themselves!
On this first part of their Toy Fair coverage, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie look at all the new 2015 sets coming from LEGO. With a macro-scale Ant-Man set, an Avengers Tower, and a Helicarrier that has to be seen to be believed, it’s all on this episode!
Then Hasbro may be having their biggest year yet–in terms of figure sizes! The Marvel Brand Team announced half a dozen waves of new Legends figures, plus tons of store exclusives as well! With news on the Infinite Series line and much more, it’s in this show. Plus listen for an exclusive review with Hasbro’s Dwight Stall about SDCC exclusives and more!
Then come back next week for a bonus episode and even more Marvelicious Toy Fair news!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT137.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 136: Toy Fair 2015 Part 1 – Hasbro and LEGO
Toy Fair International is where all the toymakers preview all the new figures, toys, and collectibles that will be released throughout the year. For Marvel collectors there was some great news in regards to announcements based on Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and, of course, the comics themselves!
On this first part of their Toy Fair coverage, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie look at all the new 2015 sets coming from LEGO. With a macro-scale Ant-Man set, an Avengers Tower, and a Helicarrier that has to be seen to be believed, it’s all on this episode!
Then Hasbro may be having their biggest year yet–in terms of figure sizes! The Marvel Brand Team announced half a dozen waves of new Legends figures, plus tons of store exclusives as well! With news on the Infinite Series line and much more, it’s in this show. Plus listen for an exclusive review with Hasbro’s Dwight Stall about SDCC exclusives and more!
Then come back next week for a bonus episode and even more Marvelicious Toy Fair news!
Arnie C: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT136.MP3
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 135: I Want to Hold Hulk Hand
For Captain America the shield is more than defense–it’s a symbol of America and taking “the American Dream and make it an American reality.” Now, nearly 75 years after first appearing in Captain America Comics #2, Captain America and his shield serve as a symbol, both in the Marvel Universe and in the real world, of strength, idealism, and patriotism. And as seen in The Avengers and the two Captain America movies, it’s pretty darn cool as well!
In 2014 eFX Collectibles’ gave fans their chance to be like Stephen Colbert and put Captain America’s shield on their walls with their Avengers Captain America Shield Prop Replica. A full scale collectible cast from the original molds of the prop used in The Avengers, this eFX prop had been teased for years. Even with an edition size of 1,500 it sold out quickly. But the Marvelicious Toys hosts have one in-hand and review it on this episode!
Also on this show, a quick review of the new Ultimate Spider-Man Web Warriors figures from Hasbro, a look at the new Thanos and Captain America figures from Hot Toys, and a preview of the new LEGO UCS LEGO set.
So what are you waiting for? Marvelicious Collectors Assemble for this week’s new show!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT135.MP3
Video: Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex
The Guardians of the Galaxy, the All-New X-Men, Nova, Captain Marvel, Cyclops and more team up for a cosmic throwdown the likes of which have never been seen in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX! On sale this week, the highly anticipated first issue in the upcoming crossover from fan-favorite writer Sam Humphries and blockbuster artist Ed McGuinness!
The Black Vortex, an ancient artifact of immense and immeasurable power has resurfaced on the far side of the galaxy. With the power to unlock its users true cosmic potential, in the wrong hands, the Black Vortex’s power could be a force of unparalleled destruction. Imagine the power that transformed Jean Grey into the Phoenix or Norin Radd into the Silver Surfer available to anyone, and in the hands of those who would use it for evil!
Kicking off in this special Alpha issue and continuing through some of your favorite Marvel titles including Guardians of the Galaxy, Legendary Star-Lord, All-New X-Men, Captain Marvel, Nova, Cyclops and more, be there for the beginning of the next great out-of-this-world crossover when GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1 hits comic shops and digital devices this February!
YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE DUCK — April brings 20 WHAT THE DUCK?! Variant Covers from Marvel
April is WTD Certified For WHAT THE DUCK?! Variant Covers!
Howard the Duck Waddles Into Your Favorite Marvel Comics for Special April Variants!
New York, NY — February 4th, 2015 — Sure, the highly anticipated HOWARD THE DUCK #1 from Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones hits comic shops in March, but Marvel is keeping the celebration going all the way into April! Today, Marvel is proud to unveil WHAT THE DUCK?! Month – a series of 20 special variant covers for April featuring that fabulous fowl, Howard The Duck! Now is your chance to see some of the most popular artists in the industry provide their own spin on that magnificent mallard!
“Response to the announcement of the new Howard the Duck series has been staggering,” says Marvel SVP Sales & Marketing David Gabriel. “There were so many talented artists eager to take a quack at drawing a Howard cover we couldn’t resist building an entire variant month around him. This April is going to be WTD certified!”
Today, Marvel is excited to reveal the following WTD Variants by some of Marvel’s greatest cover artists:
· All-New Hawkeye #2 – WTD Variant Cover by Francesco Francavilla
· Amazing Spider-Man #17 – WTD Variant Cover by W. Scott Forbes
· R
ocket Raccoon #10 – WTD Variant Cover by Rob Guillory
· Uncanny Inhumans #0 – WTD Variant Cover by Christian Ward
Look for these additional WTD Variants to grace the covers of these exciting Marvel comics throughout the month of April:
· All-New Captain America #6
· All-New X-Men #41
· Ant-Man #4
· Daredevil #15
· Deadpool #45 (a.k.a. Deadpool #250)
· Guardians of the Galaxy #26
· Hulk #14
· Inhuman #14
· 
Legendary Star-Lord #11
· Ms. Marvel #14
· S.H.I.E.L.D. #5
· Silk #3
· Spider-Gwen #3
· Superior Iron Man #7
· Thor #7
· Uncanny Avengers #4
No fan can afford to miss out on these exciting variant covers featuring the one and only web-footed wonder! Run, don’t walk to your comic shops this April to get your hands on these can’t miss WHAT THE DUCK?! Variant Covers!
New Podcast – Marvelicious Toys Issue 134: We Are Groot
I Am Groot!
With those words the Guardians of the Galaxy’s biggest hero rooted his place in the hearts of Marvel Movie fans. His prowess in battle escaping the prison, his genuine smile during the final battle, and his end-credits dance are all stand-out moments and helped Guardians become the biggest movie of 2014!
Now the hosts of Marvelicious Toys review a handful of toys and collectibles based on the lumbering alien. Funko’s Baby Groot Pop! Vinyl, the animatronic dancing Baby Groot toy, Dragon Models’ life-sized Baby Groot Model Kit, and Gentle Giant’s Groot Holiday Statue — all are given in-depth reviews in this show!
With a bonus review of Funko’s Howard the Duck Pop! Vinyl bobblehead, news on new figures hitting stores, and more, it’s all in this gala issue of Marvelicious Toys!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT134.MP3
Submit to the Vortex – Your First Look at Your First Look at GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1!
Submit to the Vortex – Your First Look at
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1!
New York, NY – January 12th, 2014 – Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. What would you give up in your quest for power? What if it cost you your very soul? This February, those questions and more will be answered in Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex Alpha #1, the first chapter in an epic, out of this world crossover through Guardians of the Galaxy, All-New X-Men, Legendary Star-Lord, Cyclops, Captain Marvel, Nova and Guardians Team-Up! From superstar creators Sam Humphries, Ed McGuinness and Kris Anka comes the opening salvo in an epic cosmic war!
The Black Vortex – an ancient and powerful artifact has been uncovered in the far reaches of the cosmos. With the power to grant its user untold, it is coveted by some of the most nefarious forces in the galaxy. Thane and the villainous Mr. Knife plan to use its power to unleash terror upon the galaxy, and only a small band of heroes stand in their way.
“What happens when one person submits to the Black Vortex and becomes a titan of the cosmos? What happens when a whole team does it? Or a whole planet?” says Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex Alpha #1 writer Sam Humphries in an interview with Marvel.com. “Imagine the metamorphosis that turned Norin Radd into the Silver Surfer, or Jean Grey into Dark Phoenix, available to anyone in the Marvel Universe.”
“But of course, no amount of power comes without a cost,” Humphries continued.
Now, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men, Nova, Captain Marvel and more must unite as one or face extinction. Because if they fail, billions will die. But even they may be seduced by the power of the Black Vortex. Are they going to save the universe? Or will they be its undoing? Find out as the
Billions of lives are at stake, the heroes of the Marvel Universe will have to face the darkness inside themselves if they hope to succeed. But will they be the ones to save the galaxy, or will they be seduced by the Black Vortex’s power?
Find out as the action begins this February in the can’t miss Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex Alpha #1!
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1 (DEC140820)
Written by SAM HUMPHRIES
Art by ED MCGUINNESS & KRIS ANKA
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Cosmically Enhanced Variant by ANDREA SORRENTINO (DEC140822)
Connecting Variant A by ALEXANDER LOZANO (DEC140821)
New Podcast: Marvelicious Toys Issue 133: Guardians of the Podcast Part 2
With 2014 behind us and 2015 ahead, the crew at Marvelicious Toys deliver their second roundtable discussion looking back at 2014 and forward to 2015.
First, Arnie, Marjorie, Justin, and their guest hosts, look back at the high end collectibles in 2014. Kotobukiya. Hot Toys. Sideshow Premium Format Figures. Bowen Designs Statues. Gentle Giant Mini-Busts. XM Studios quarter-scale statues. These high-end items have been hitting hard and fast for Marvel collectors making fans think hard about where to spend their money. Join them as they determine who made the best expensive toys of the year!
Then they look forward to 2015. With Toy Fair just over a month away they say what they want to see, and what they expect to see, going forward!
All that and more in this episode of Marvelicious Toys!
We want you to join our team! We have openings currently for video editors, audio editors, and photo editors! Find out all the details in our forums!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT133.MP3
NEW PODCAST: Marvelicious Toys Issue 132: Guardians of the Podcast Part 1
http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT132.MP3
New Podcast: Issue 131: So Right It’s Thong
With the Holidays coming the stores are full of toys, and bargains! From a Toys R Us exclusive, free Rocket Racoon LEGO mini-figure to discounts on Disney’s Marvel Infinity figures and even some hard to find Marvel Infinite Series figures hitting shelves! On this issue of Marvelicious Toys Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie tell you where to shop to get the most toys for your buck!
Also on this week’s show is a review of Gentle Giant’s new quarter-scale Black Widow, from their line of statues based on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This statue is made from a 3-D scan of Scarlett Johansson. Watch and see how this Widow stacks up against Sideshow’s Premium Format figures.
With an in-depth look at 3-D Plus Me’s statues, the Super Awesome Me figures, Sideshow’s new art print line, and much more, it’s an episode stuffed more full than a Christmas stocking! So watch now!
We want you to join our team! We have openings currently for video editors, audio editors, and photo editors! Find out all the details in our forums!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT131.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 130: Black Friday and Sweet Christmas Gift Guide 2014
It’s Thanksgiving and time for Marvelicious Toys’ 5th Annual Black Friday Shopping and Holiday Gift Guide!
First, Justin, Arnie, and Marjorie run down all the Marvel toys and collectibles on sale Thursday through Sunday this weekend. From Disney Infinity toys to Hasbro figures, listen to find out where the deep discounts are in stores and online!
Also this show, shopping for collectors can be challenging. Whether you’re buying for your friend, spouse, or perhaps a holiday treat for yourself, the choices are daunting. Join the Marvelicious hosts as they detail the hot Marvel gifts this year. From action figures to high end collectibles to housewares, shirts, and even a few WTF items, it’s all in this issue!
Plus there’s still a few days left to sign up for the Marvelicious Toys Holiday Gift X-Change! Registration closes December 2nd so sign up now to give and get some Marvel goodies this holiday season!
It’s an episode more full than your plate at Thanksgiving dinner, so watch now!
We want you to join our team! We have openings currently for video editors, audio editors, and photo editors! Find out all the details in our forums!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT130.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 129: Holding Out for a Big Hero 6
It’s been a great year for Marvel movies and that looks to continue today with the release of Big Hero 6. This film is the first movie from Disney Animation to be based on Marvel Comics characters, and the ones chosen are even more obscure than the Guardians of the Galaxy! But with this new movie comes new licensing deals, and the toys are not from Hasbro but Ban Dai. In this issue of Marvelicious Toys, join Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin as they look at the 4-inch figure line as well as the SDCC exclusive Baymax figure!
But also on this show is something for fans of more classic Marvel characters. Hitting Targets is an exclusive three pack of Marvel Legends figures: Ms. Marvel, Radioactive Man, and Captain America. Is this set worth hunting down? Watch this show for a full review!
With more news on Marvel films, some stocking stuffers in the toy aisle, and more, it’s all in this new Marvelicious Toys podcast!
We want you to join our team! We have openings currently for video editors, audio editors, and photo editors! Find out all the details in our forums!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT129.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 128: No Full Cream Hulk at NYCC
Marvel movies are where it’s at! This past week saw the announcement of nine new, upcoming movies based on the characters of Marvel Comics, and it couldn’t come at a better time as the community is giddy over the two trailers shown for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Arnie first saw these trailers at New York Comic-Con, as well as footage from Ant-Man and more upcoming Marvel projects. On this issue of Marvelicious Toys the hosts all give their impression of the next big superhero film to hit theaters!
Also on this week’s show Marjorie and Arnie report from New York Comic-Con 2014. From new Avengers and Infinite Series figures shown by Hasbro to an X-trordinary new Art-FX+ collection by Kotobukiya and so much more, it’s all covered in this show!
With a review of the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. at the Discovery Center in Times Square, a discussion of NYCC attendance, and so much more, it’s all in this bonus issue of Marvelicious Toys!
We want you to join our team! We have openings currently for video editors, audio editors, and photo editors! Find out all the details in our forums!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT128.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 127: Man of Steelbooks
With Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Past Marvel movie collectors have seen their share of variant covers and exclusive gimmicks. But for the hard core movie collectors the best versions aren’t available in the states. The collectible rage overseas is steelbooks! Exclusive, limited edition cases only available in Europe and Asia can cost a pretty penny for American fans, but it’s a price many are willing to pay. What makes these so sought after? From the UK, Star Wars Action News reporter and Marvel movie collector Steve “The Gingerprince”, reports in with a review of several of the best Steelbooks!
Also on this week’s episode Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin have been scanned–by 3D Plus Me! At San Diego Comic-Con the hosts had their heads imaged for custom statues putting their heads on Marvel characters from Black Widow to Iron Man to M.O.D.O.K. Now the company has partnered with Hasbro for Super Awesome Me–custom face scans put atop an articulated Hasbro Titan figure of Captain America or Iron Man. Marjorie and Arnie saw the figures in person at New York Comic-Con, and the hosts all have some of their SDCC statues in hand. Should you seek out 3D Plus Me at their next convention appearance? Listen for a detailed review of these statues!
With a report on a new Hot Toys X-man, a classic Spider-Man maquette, and so much more, it’s all in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
And stay tuned next week for a bonus episode where the hosts run down all the reveals from New York Comic-Con!
We want you to join our team! We have openings currently for video editors, audio editors, and photo editors! Find out all the details in our forums!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT127.MP3
Category: Arts
$100 Toys R Us Gift Card for only $85 on eBay
With new toys hitting, plus the Toys R Us exclusives (such as the Star Wars AT-ST pack or the Marvel X-Men Legends figures), plus just holiday shopping, we thought you’d like to be notified of this bargain.
Right now on eBay Gift Card Mail has a $100 Toys R Us gift card for only $85. This is a reputable seller, and I purchased 2 myself.
There are very limited quantities available still, so act fast! Get yours before they’re gone on eBay
Marvel Movie Pre-Order Alerts: Hot Toys Wolverine and Hikari Sofubi Groot
Fans of movies based on Marvel Comics characters have several pre-orders hitting today!
First, from the film X-Men: Days of Future Past Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles bring Wolverine! This figure has over 30 points of articulation, 3 pairs of swappable hands (with and without claws!), and an outfit representing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the dystopian future shown at the film’s opening. It stands just under 12-inches tall, and comes with a specialized Wolverine display base.
Now, it’s no secret that licensees have issues making toys and collectibles based on 20th Century Fox’s X-Men and Fantastic Four films. The last X-Men film to receive a big marketing push was X-Men Origins: Wolverine back in 2009. In 2011, covering New York Toy Fair for Marvelicious Toys, I interviewed one of the Marvel reps at Hasbro’s presentation. I was shocked at a lack of toys for that summer’s X-Men: First Class and I asked about that. I was told that Marvel would be marketing their X-Men: First Class comic books, not the movies. Indeed, in the past five years it has been hard to find any toys or statues based on the X-Men movies; only the comics. Only Diamond Select, with their Minimates lines, has covered all the Marvel movies regardless of studio.
In 2012 Hot Toys announced a licensing agreement for figures based on X-Men: First Class and Magneto and Charles Xavier figures were shown at various Hot Toys exhibits, but they never were released. It is more than likely pressure from Marvel has caused those figures to be indefinitely delayed, if not altogether cancelled.
Yet Hot Toys has persevered in releasing X-Men movie toys…if only Wolverine figures. Their first was from X-Men Origins: Wolverine released in 2009. That figure shot up in value and even had some high-quality bootlegs sold on eBay. As such, in 2012 Hot Toys made another Wolverine figure from X-Men III: The Last Stand. Then last year Hot Toys made another version of this character, showing his appearance in The Wolverine (still available to order, at a deep discount, from Sideshow Collectibles). This Days of Future Past Wolverine is the 4th version of this character.
Despite how much I really want Hot Toys to finally release the other X-Men figures (specifically the yellow-and-blue clad X-Men from First Class) Wolverine is the most popular X-Man. Each version of this figure has been distinct, and showing a likeness of Hugh Jackman appropriate to that film. This is an older Jackman likeness, and the future outfit is far different from any we’ve gotten before.
At $250 the figure is a bit more expensive than I’d like–with no large diorama pieces, excessive accessories, or swappable heads I’d prefer to see this around $200 like The Wolverine version, but it’s still a great version of the character.
I have it ordered already, both for the figure it is, plus I’m hoping that by “voting with my dollars” Hot Toys and Marvel realize high-end figures based on the X-Men films are profitable enough to continue beyond Wolverine.
(as an aside, X-Men: Days of Future Past came out on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, and the collector’s edition is almost half off at Amazon!)
If you prefer Marvel Studios’ own films, such as Guardians of the Galaxy, a new collectible is available for you as well! From Funko comes the Entertainment Earth exclusive Hikari Premium Sofubi Vinyl Figure of Groot!
While that’s a lot of adjectives, Funko’s Hikari Premium Sofubi Vinyl Figures are 11-inch soft vinyl figures. This one is limited to 5,000 pieces and only available from Entertainment Earth.
Funko is known for having several variants for each of their Sofubi figures, from color changes to translucent glittery versions. Several variants of the Groot Hikari Vinyl Figure were displayed at New York Comic-Con, but this Entertainment Earth version seems to be the most movie-accurate. You can order it now at EE.
And for Hikari collectors, Barnes and Noble just put up their exclusive black-and-white version of the Spider-Man figure, called “Dangerous Spider-Man” for $71. That is not a pre-order; mine has shipped already.
New Podcast: Issue 126: If You Squint…
It’s no secret that Marvel downplays any X-Men merchandise preferring to promote toys, statues, and comics featuring characters owned by their Marvel Studios movie branch. Yet, with the major release of X-Men: Days of Future Past, Hasbro was able to release a wave of Marvel Legends figures based on the comic incarnations for many of Marvel’s mighty mutants. Magneto and Wolverine, Stryfe and Storm, plus Cyclops all are in this Toys R Us exclusive wave, and with all the figures you can also build Jubilee. On this issue of Marvelicious Toys Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin review these six new releases and discuss where you can order a set now!
Also on this week’s show, the Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise is starting to hit hard. The hosts review Kotobukiya’s new Art-FX+ Rocket Raccoon and Groot statue, as well as the Rocket Raccoon Labbit from Kidrobot!
With Justin’s final decision on Sideshow’s 12-inch Deadpool, major sales at Walgreens stores, and more, it’s all in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
And don’t miss Marvelicious Toys’ coverage of New York Comic-Con! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for pics and updates from Wednesday’s Hasbro event as well as the convention itself! And if you find Marjorie or Arnie on the floor they are giving away exclusive Marvelicious Toys buttons!
We want you to join our team! We have openings currently for video editors, audio editors, and photo editors! Find out all the details in our forums!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT126.MP3
Category: Arts
Corn Connection: ‘Revelation’ boasts some of series’ best links
The seventh installment of this Corn Connection series is a step up from the previous one, even if the film we’re talking about, Children of the Corn: Revelation, is every bit as unbearable as Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return.
The difference between the two is variety. While 666 featured seemed to find the same connections over and over (Robocop, Corn), the Revelation cast has connections to more than a half-dozen Now Playing Podcast series’ that haven’t been written about in this series.
So, if you’re wrapping up the latest episode in the Now Playing Podcast Children of the Corn Retrospective Series, here’s where you can find some of that film’s stars in the Now Playing universe.
Michael Ironside (Priest) – Philip K. Dick Retrospective, The Karate Kid Retrospective, Terminator Retrospective, X-Men Retrospective
Let’s start with the obvious; Michael Ironside probably can’t walk down the street without someone shouting, “See you at the party Richter!”
It’s one of the actor’s best known roles, and Total Recall was reviewed by Now Playing back during the 2011 Philip K. Dick Retrospective.
Ironside also had roles in The Next Karate Kid and Terminator Salvation, two films reviewed in 2010 and 2009, respectively.
And he also appeared as the captain of a battleship in X-Men First Class, although he wasn’t credited. Why he wasn’t credited is a mystery I haven’t not yet Googled. It’s almost a distraction that he wasn’t credited, like I’m thinking more about that than I am about First Class.
Ron Selmour (uncredited) – Blade Retrospective, Black Christmas Retrospective, Tron Retrospective, Riddick Retrospective
Selmour had bit parts in The Chronicles of Riddick, the Black Christmas remake and Tron Legacy. But as soon as I saw his face on IMDB and his Blade: Trinity credit I said, “I know that dude!”
He’s one of the “Nightstalkers” that teams up with Wesley Snipes for about five minutes before he gets killed. I think he gets one line and then gets taken out alongside Patton Oswalt. And his character is named Dex. And Oswalt’s character is named Hedges. That movie has the worst names.
There’s nothing I can say about Blade: Trinity that hasn’t been said on Now Playing Podcast, so please, if you like to laugh, take a listen to that show.
Crystal Lowe (Tiffany) – Final Destination Retrospective, Fantastic Four Retrospective, Black Christmas Retrospective
This actress has done a few horror films, including Final Destination 3 and the Black Christmas remake; both covered by Now Playing Podcast.
But I wonder if she gets recognized most for her role as “Hot Party Girl No. 3” in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer? It’s been a while since I’ve seen the picture, but I’m sure she’s the best thing about it.
By the way, Lowe will have another Now Playing mention added to her profile when the show covers Insomnia as part of the upcoming Christopher Nolan Retrospective Series.
Troy Yorke (Jerry) – Final Destination Retrospective
Yorke had an uncredited role in the first Final Destination. Nuff said.
Kyle Cassie (Armbrister) – Lost Boys Retrospective
Hey, it’s the first Lost Boys mention in the Corn Connection series! Cassie played the character “Jon” in the direct-to-DVD sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe.
Claudette Mink (Jamie) – Philip K. Dick Retrospective
This actress had a role in John Woo’s Paycheck, another film featured in the Philip K. Dick retrospective.
So there you have it. A pretty impressive lineup of links to the Now Playing Podcast archives. I’m still excited that I found that guy from Blade 3. Seriously, that’s a show to listen to.
The Corn Connection is winding down, only two more entries left in the film series, which means two more trips to the corn for the Now Playing hosts. Get the next show Tuesday!
Did we miss anyone? If you spot an actor or actress with a connection to Now Playing Podcast leave a comment and help a fellow listener!
Pre-Order Alert: Sideshow’s 12-Inch Line Begins with DEADPOOL
For years Sideshow Collectibles has been the place for US-based Marvel collectors to buy 12-inch figures of their favorite heroes. Specifically, 12-inch figures manufactured by Hong Kong-based Hot Toys distributed by Sideshow Collectibles.
Now, though, Sideshow’s doing it for themselves having debuted a brand new Marvel 12-inch figure line, designed and manufactured in-house.
That line now has its first figure up for pre-order and it’s the fan favorite mutant Deadpool. The price is $229.99, and payment plans are available.
Like Sideshow’s long-running G.I. Joe and Star Wars lines, new Marvel Comics figure line consists of highly articulated figures clothed in soft goods outfits and loaded with accessories. The figure stands 12-inches tall and while it is listed as “fully articulated” the specific posability is not mentioned.
Deadpool is dressed in his classic red and black costume, hand-tailored by Sideshow’s designers. The piece is then finished off with plastic and rubber heads, hands, boots, and accessories. In this case, Deadpool has his harness with enough pouches to make his creator Rob Liefeld proud, plus kneepads and shoulder pads.
Where the figure really stands out is the accessories. The Deadpool figure comes with two swap-out heads with different masked facial expressions, two pistols, an assault rifle, 2 katanas, a knife, and two grenades. Plus the figure has five pairs of hands for different positions, including thumbs-up, a fist, and hands made to hold each of the weapons.
Plus Sideshow also has up for order an exclusive edition, limited in production and available only directly from Sideshow themselves, and that version of the figure has an additional accessory–a zombie head of the character Headpool.
The figure is up for order today but will not ship for over a year! The listed ship date is October, 2015 and these releases often miss those target dates by one to three months.
This new figure line is totally separate from the Hot Toys Marvel sixth-scale figure collection. While Hot Toys has focused on figures based on Marvel movie incarnations (Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man; Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider) Sideshow is making figures accurate to their comic book styles. To this end, Deadpool’s outfit is a bright red.
At San Diego Comic-Con Sideshow debuted Deadpool as well as the next two characters that will be added to this series–The Punisher and Wolverine. Given the history with Sideshow’s other 12-inch lines there is little doubt that those figures, and many more, will be offered for pre-order in the coming months.
There is no deposit needed for this figure, and the exclusive edition is likely to sell out long before the ship date. So if interested, you can place your order now from Sideshow Collectibles.
Are you getting Sideshow’s 12-inch line? Let us know in our forums!
New Podcast: Issue 125: Slot Machine
Marvelicious Toys is back!
Arnie and Marjorie have returned from Vegas, but on their trip they found plenty of Marvel goodies! From Iron Man slot machines to a Kidrobot retail outlet, and more, listen to find out that what toys are found in Vegas don’t necessarily stay in Vegas!
Also this week, Sideshow Collectibles new 12-inch Marvel figure line has debuted with their first offering–Deadpool! Justin runs down this new figure, as well as the upcoming Deadpool movie!
With a rundown of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Past exclusive Blu-ray releases, Sideshow’s new Thor – The Dark World Premium Format figure, Agent Venom at discount, and so much more in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT125.MP3
Category: Arts
The 40 Year-Old-Critic: X-Men: First Class (2011)
In The 40-Year-Old Critic, Venganza Media creator and host Arnie Carvalho recalls a memorable film for each year of his life. This series appears daily on the Venganza Media Gazette.
I didn’t really want to review the X-Men films for Now Playing Podcast.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy discussing any movie in-depth, whether it’s Leprechaun in Space or Touch of Evil. But for X-Men I had a specific hesitation.
I had, in passing, already discussed these films with longtime friend and podcast co-host Stuart. It was clear we didn’t see eye-to-eye; he expressed a preference for Bryan Singer’s earlier, dour X-films; I actually enjoyed Brett Ratner’s third X-Men movie, The Last Stand, the most — finally giving the superheroes fight sequences they’d been denied on screen.
I hadn’t seen the X-Men films in a few years by 2011, when we started our Marvel Movie Retrospective Series, but I was fully prepared to stand alone with my minority opinion.
It wasn’t that I loved X-Men: The Last Stand. I felt all the X-Men films were lacking in some areas, and expressing my preference for Ratner’s vision didn’t mean I could champion it. I loved Marvel, especially the movies, but to this franchise I held no allegiance.
That is why in 2009 we took a pass on that year’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. After the film was released we felt doubly justified.
But, as I discussed in my Howard the Duck article, in 2011 Now Playing was beginning its most ambitious endeavor; reviewing every Marvel-based movie ever released in theaters (U.S. or overseas). That meant Stuart, Jakob, and I would have to tackle the X-films, eventually.
How we approached this retrospective was the subject of some debate. I initially pitched doing all the films intermixed, in chronological order. Perhaps because it would have seemed odd to have 2002’s Spider-Man review immediately followed by 2003’s Daredevil and Hulk (both released before Spider-Man 2) Stuart wisely suggested breaking the series into a number of smaller sub-series; do Spider-Man as a unit, Blade as another group, and the X-Men by themselves. But then how would we order them? First-to-last according to release date? Or do we start with the most recent film?
Finally, realizing the interest listeners had in our theatrical release reviews, we decided to just shuffle all the series’ around to whatever order fit; but two rules presided. First, we would arrange series’ so that if they had a theatrical release, as happened for X-Men and Ghost Rider, we would tie into that release. Second, we would do all the movies in time for the ultimate Marvel crossover movie: 2012’s The Avengers.
(Sony then threw a wrench in that plan by releasing their The Amazing Spider-Man reboot in the weeks following Avengers, making Marvel’s most popular superhero the only one we hadn’t reviewed)
Would audiences accept an X-film without Wolverine?
This massive undertaking meant we could delay it no further; we had to review X-Men. More, while we had done three one-off Marvel movies — Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, and Kick Ass, in a loose group we called Marvel Misfits — X-Men was our first real series in the Marvel Movie Retrospective. This was demanded by the release of 20th Century Fox’s impending reboot/prequel of their X-franchise, X-Men: First Class.
I wasn’t terribly excited for First Class. It was the latest offering in a scattershot series. More, it didn’t have Wolverine. While his 2009 solo film was an over-the-top testosterone-fueled orgy of explosions, I still enjoyed the character and did wonder if his absence from First Class was a blessing, giving him a rest after Origins, or a curse, the new film lacking the series’ star.
It turns out all of this fear was for nothing. While Stuart and I did disagree over the merits of the first three X-Men films and Origins, the conversations were always fun. More, Jakob provided a great third perspective that tempered both of our points and prevented the conversations from following any preconceived pattern I’d feared. Also, revisiting the films with revised expectations allowed me to appreciate them more than I had in the past.
More importantly, though, in 2011 the X-Men got their first truly great film with First Class. I had feared not finding a film I loved in the X-series, but new director Matthew Vaughn delivered that in spades.
First, the film had a lead cast that was nothing short of amazing.
I knew James McAvoy from his earlier teen comedy Starter For Ten, a film funnier than its teen game show premise deserved. The actor was also a standout in Wanted, holding his own against Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie, and imbibing his character with personality that seemed lacking from the movie’s thin script.
Still, while I liked the man’s work, I had a hard time imagining him as Charles “Professor X” Xavier, the lead X-Man portrayed by Patrick Stewart in the earlier films. But with Vaughn’s direction and the script (co-written by the director) this was a young, cheeky Xavier, and McAvoy owned the part.
He was, however, overshadowed by co-star Michael Fassbender, who took the role of Erik “Magneto” Lensherr; previously occupied by Ian McKellen. X-Men: First Class took elements from a canceled X-Men Origins: Magneto script — and truthfully this film is Magneto’s. Like the original X-Men film, First Class opens in a Nazi concentration camp showing Magneto, still a child, discovering his powers. But it continues that story line and shows the Nazis grooming Lensherr and training him. Magneto’s quest for revenge is the true arc of this film, and, playing Erik as an adult, Fassbender commands the screen.
I can’t recall even hearing Fassbender’s name before First Class. I had seen him in only two films: 300 and Jonah Hex, and neither performance was memorable. From this role I knew Fassbender had amazing range. With the X-Men franchise under his belt Fassbender has picked a variety of mostly smaller films allowing him to demonstrate his range, but he was truly the best find of First Class.
Jennifer Lawrence joins the X-franchise as Mystique.
That is probably a somewhat unpopular opinion, especially for any Hunger Games fans reading this review, as First Class also featured Jennifer Lawrence, starring as the shape-shifting mutant Mystique (a role previously played by Rebecca Romijn). Unlike Fassbender, I knew of Lawrence before First Class due to her role in Winter’s Bone. Strong word-of-mouth brought that movie to my attention, and Lawrence earned an Academy Award nomination for her role. Still, while already an acclaimed actress, she was just beginning her career. Few could have predicted what her future held; becoming Hollywood’s biggest actress thanks to her role of Katniss in the aforementioned Hunger Games series, plus continuing to make critically acclaimed films, as well as winning an Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.
In X-Men: First Class it was clear she was as talented as her more seasoned co-stars. While not much more than a sexy henchman in the original X-Men trilogy, here Mystique’s dilemma is the heart of the film; she can do amazing things but her true form is scaly and blue. The film shows her path of self-acceptance and, as a by-product, her allegiance shifting from the more diplomatic Professor X to the more militant Magneto.
Even the smaller roles were stacked with great performances, with Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, and Oliver Platt being stand-outs. I felt the only weak link in the film was January Jones, the Mad Men star who played “White Queen” Emma Frost.
Yet while the cast was amazing, its director was even more so. I knew Vaughn only for his 2010 superhero parody Kick-Ass, and he brought that same visual flare and fast-paced storytelling style to First Class. Also, like Kick-Ass, this film had actual character development intermixed with a healthy dose of comedy.
Out of all the X-Men films, this was the first one that had been really, truly fun while also establishing amazing rivalries and human drama. It was the first great X-Men movie.
It was a delight to watch, and I was ecstatic while recording the Now Playing review when I discovered Jakob and Stuart had seen the same film I did. The only thing better than watching an amazing film is sharing that enthusiasm with other film lovers.
The movie, and that podcast review, were my personal high points of our X-Men retrospective series, and it kicked off our Marvel Retrospective with a huge bang. There were good times ahead.
In the three years since this film’s theatrical release I’ve seen it at least a dozen more times. I went back to see it in theaters even after Now Playing’s review, just for fun. I bought it on its Blu-ray release date, and watched it immediately. It’s a staple, any time it airs on television I turn it on again. On flights it’s the movie that gets the most play on my iPad.
Fassbender’s Magneto is the highlight of the film.
Yet this enthusiasm is tinged with sadness. While I did not share a dissenting opinion on the podcast, all three of us seem to be in a minority group for our love of this film. It became the lowest grossing X-Men film ever — audiences just didn’t turn out to see the movie. Perhaps they were put off by the lack of Wolverine? Maybe the 1960s period piece feel didn’t appeal to 21st Century moviegoers? Perhaps the summer was just too full of superheroes with Thor and Captain America also hitting screens? No matter the reason, the film failed to find an audience and made less money than 2000’s original X-Men, even with 11 years of ticket inflation taken into account.
More, it seems this movie didn’t catch on in home video. I thought it could have a second life in home theaters, but my anecdotal evidence suggests people simply preferred the movies with the original cast to this new vision.
If there is no greater joy than discussing a beloved film with others who share that sentiment, there are few feelings more depressing than feeling alone and wondering why everyone else can’t see in this film the great things I see.
Worse, lack of fan response ended First Class‘ run in the X-Men. Fox, knowing they have to battle Marvel (who are the creators of the X-Men characters, but don’t hold the film rights), decided a major course correction was needed for the studio’s premier superhero franchise. They had definite ideas for the next X-Men movie, and were prepared to spend more than they ever had before to ensure their mutants could stand their ground against the Avengers. Studio interference and demands, including bringing back some members of the original cast to appeal to fans, led to Vaughn abandoning development on the sequel film, and in his place Bryan Singer returned to the franchise.
The result of Fox and Singer’s work was this year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. It was a very good movie — Singer’s best entry in the franchise by a mile. Yet it didn’t do as good a job juggling the characters, the story line wasn’t as tight, and it lacked the groovy, kinetic fun of First Class. It lacked Vaughn, who was the X-factor the franchise needed most.
But again I may stand alone in that opinion, as Days of Future Past became the highest-grossing X-film to date; besting X-Men: The Last Stand’s take in 2006.
I have no doubt that with the upcoming X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, the X-films will continue to get grander and mix in more cast members new and old. I just hold out hope that at some point they look back and see all that First Class did right, and bring some of that lighthearted humanity back to the X-Men.
Tomorrow — 2011!
Arnie is a movie critic for Now Playing Podcast, a book reviewer for the Books & Nachos podcast, and co-host of the collecting podcasts Star Wars Action News and Marvelicious Toys. You can follow him on Twitter @thearniec
The 40 Year-Old-Critic: Iron Man (2008)
In The 40-Year-Old Critic, Venganza Media creator and host Arnie Carvalho recalls a memorable film for each year of his life. This series appears daily on the Venganza Media Gazette.
We truly live in the golden age of Marvel movies. In the past six years Marvel Studios (and now Disney) have set the standard for comic-based films, and racked up some of the highest-grossing hits of all time.
This year, the company proved how golden it really is with Guardians of the Galaxy, a film featuring a talking raccoon and his friend, the tree. On paper, that’s laughable. This movie shouldn’t have worked; the concept is so far removed from The Avengers that it conjures up memories of Howard the Duck (who even made a cameo).
But as I sit here typing this, Guardians has the designation of being 2014’s top grossing picture in the U.S.
It’s a wild success story that no one could have predicted — certainly I didn’t — back in 2008 when Marvel Studios released its first film: Iron Man.
As I detailed in my reviews of Superman and Spider-Man 3, I was a Marvel Comics fan in my teen years. At my peak I had several thousand comic books; long boxes stuffed with popular titles like Spider-Man, X-Men, and The Incredible Hulk, as well as Darkhawk, Ravage 2099, and Fantastic Four. Conspicuous perhaps by his absence, I didn’t own a single issue of Iron Man.
The character did make appearances in many comics I owned. Massive crossovers such as Secret Wars prominently featured the Armored Avenger. Yet none of those appearances made me feel like picking up an Iron Man comic. A businessman who pretends to be his own bodyguard in a suit of armor? The concept sounded pretty cheesy. The suit’s design, a garish red and yellow, also was a turnoff. He could fly. He could shoot lasers from his hands. And? Why would I want to read about that?
More, why would I want to see a movie about that?
The arm-chair studio moguls online and in magazines like Entertainment Weekly seemed to agree with me. Phrases like “B-list superhero (at best)” were used to describe Iron Man. It is hard to believe now, but just seven short years ago Iron Man had virtually no name recognition among the common public. Marvel had sold the movie rights to many its most well-known superheroes, including Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine and the X-Men, and those characters had gone on to star in their own pictures. Even other B-listers like Daredevil, Blade, and Ghost Rider had been picked up by other studios. What did Marvel have left?
They had Captain America, a man out-of-time goody-two-shoes. They had Thor, a Norse god that may have been even less well-known in his comic incarnation than Iron Man. They had The Incredible Hulk, who had a good history but a recent box-office disappointment thanks to Ang Lee’s Hulk. And they had Iron Man.
Yet Marvel had a vision. More, they had a plan. They didn’t release one film in 2008, they released two. They let it be known immediately that they were going to do on screen what they had done in their comics: create a shared universe where characters would cross over. The end game was announced before Iron Man was in theaters, Marvel wanted to assemble The Avengers.
I thought it was crazy talk. While, thanks to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings it had become more common to have sequels in production, or even entirely filmed, before the first film was released. Even those seemed risky though, with pundits noting Lord of the Rings could have bankrupted New Line Cinema. Yet here Marvel Studios was going this route for its first features.
Iron Man didn’t excite me, but Marvel’s strategy sure got my attention. It was audacious, it was bold, and it was risky. I admired them before I ever saw a frame of the film.
Even crazier — they hired Robert Downey, Jr. to play Iron Man/Tony Stark. If you’ll recall, in the late 90s and early 2000s, Downey had a fairly toxic reputation in Hollywood. His well-publicized battle with addiction and his prison stints had branded him as unreliable. Worse, he was uninsurable — no company would put up a bond for the actor lest he again be arrested and his filmed scenes became unusable.
Casting Robert Downey, Jr. was a risk, now where would Marvel be without him?
Despite his off-screen troubles, I had always been a fan of Downey. While I’d seen him in Weird Science and Back to School he first really caught my eye as someone to watch in The Pick-Up Artist, a film in which Downey is the only redeeming quality. I followed him for many years with Less Than Zero, Chances Are, Air America, hell I even watched Soapdish because he was in it. But two roles really defined Downey for me: his 1992 Oscar-nominated lead in Chaplin, and his role as a tabloid TV reporter in Natural Born Killers. But the more public his personal troubles became the more I felt he was an actor on the decline. I was really saddened by this — the man could act! From Two Girls and a Guy to U.S. Marshals to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, I’d always been captivated by him.
That he was the star of Iron Man had me both worried and excited. On the one hand it seemed like on-the-nose casting — if I knew one thing about the Tony Stark character in comics it was that he was an alcoholic; if most people knew Downey for only one thing it was for his substance abuse problems.
The trailers with the rocking Black Sabbath track, Downey’s quick quips, the great action, and the effects — the film looked better than I expected; better than it deserved to look. Plus, rumors spread like wildfire that the film would include a cameo by Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. boss Nick Fury. By the time Iron Man was released, my curiosity was piqued.
Still, I was more interested in the second of Marvel’s one-two summer punch: The Incredible Hulk. I was a Hulk fan, he was the hero with name recognition; plus it had Edward Norton, an actor I believed was every bit as talented as Downey. But until Hulk came out I thought Iron Man could help me pass the time.
My expectations were low, but I was still there opening night to see Iron Man. I even drove 90 minutes to the closest new-fangled digital projector in the area.
The film, in short, rocked. I never expected to have so much fun in a superhero film. Movies like Blade, X-Men, and Batman Begins had seemed to say there was only one way to make a comic book movie, and that’s deadly serious. Iron Man eschewed that attitude with the flippant irreverence I’d expect from its main character. The movie did have its serious scenes, but the majority of the picture was filled with a kinetic energy and a constant sense of fun. I walked into the theater not getting Iron Man’s appeal; I walked out an Iron Man fan.
This was bolstered by Downey’s now-iconic performance. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His jokes, his charisma, he owned this film. His line, “I am Iron Man,” was 100 percent accurate, for I couldn’t imagine this movie without him. Given the wide range of roles I’ve seen Downey portray I am hesitant to call this his best performance ever, but it is my favorite (with his 2008 follow-up Tropic Thunder a very close second).
Iron Man even brought Now Playing Podcast out of a brief retirement in 2008, and we followed up that short review with an even more extensive breakdown of the film for our Avengers Retrospective Series in 2012.
Yet, despite my love of the movie, I still thought Marvel’s overall strategy was ill-formed. Iron Man did well, Hulk did not. More, the only superhero film people seemed to remember from 2008 was Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight — a film that was more than a blockbuster, it was a cultural touchstone.
In 2008 it really seemed Marvel had lost the battle. More, they had no movies planned for 2009. Iron Man was a big enough hit to keep the wheels turning for Iron Man 2 in 2010 but I never thought Marvel could go the distance. Avengers seemed like a pipe dream.
Again, I bet wrong. Iron Man 2 built on the brand in 2010, and the following year saw two more Marvel films, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. Both did respectable business, but neither broke the $200 million domestic mark to be qualified as a blockbuster. They didn’t need to; Marvel was playing the long game, they were building a brand.
It paid off — big time. The Avengers took the world by storm. It almost seemed a rematch of Marvel versus DC as, that same year, Nolan returned with The Dark Knight Rises. Iron Man once again faced Batman, but this time Stark brought his friends and when 2012 ended it was The Avengers that had become the benchmark for comic book movies. Sorry, Batman.
Iron Man. He’s poseable!
Marvel Studios’ brazen gambit paid off in spades. Not only has the company become an unstoppable movie juggernaut, they have expanded their cinematic universe to weekly network television, to four different Netflix series’, and even drawn plans for up to three movies per year in the future.
Other studios now desperately try to ape Marvel’s success. After trying for 20 years to get Batman and Superman on screen together, next year finally brings us Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with a list of superheroes that include Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and — according to rumor — Aquaman, the Flash, and others. DC is now playing catch-up to Marvel.
Even other studios with Marvel properties have tried to follow this formula, though to less success. The same year The Avengers was released Sony tried to build its own multi-chapter story with The Amazing Spider-Man. This year they announced that a Spidey universe of films is coming, including two spin-offs featuring villains — Sony is now grasping for whatever characters to which they hold rights. At 20th Century Fox, studio executives also bet big-time on their X-Men franchise, bringing back original director Bryan Singer to revitalize the series. The Marvel Studios tactic of ending each film with a “stinger” to tease the next picture is now so commonplace, audience members are afraid to leave the theater before the end credits are finished.
Yes, for the past 6 years movies have been following Marvel Studios’ formula. It all started with a big gamble that paid off: Iron Man.
As for me, Iron Man opened a door that had been cracked the year before with Spider-Man 3. The Marvel movies were really an exciting property to follow. My dormant comic fandom was back with a vengeance. Marjorie, knowing my love of Iron Man, bought me my first high-end Marvel collectibles: a Hot Toys “Mech Test” Tony Stark figure, as well as a Kotobukiya Iron Man statue. The door was opened and before long the podcast Marvelicious Toys was launched as a companion piece to Star Wars Action News, focusing specifically on Marvel collecting.
More, Marvel Studios’ films had me wanting to build up to The Avengers. Now Playing Podcast had been following, almost exclusively, the retrospective format in 2009 and 2010, but after seeing Iron Man 2 I pitched to co-hosts Stuart and Jakob the craziest, biggest retrospective yet: every Marvel movie ever. Up until then our series’ had all been of manageable length of a dozen films or less. It took a year of discussion. First, Stuart thought we should only do the six Marvel Studios films. Then he thought we should do the major franchises. Finally he agreed to all theatrical films, and we had started Now Playing’s Complete Marvel Movie Retrospective. Over time I was even able to find a back door — several 1970s TV movies had aired in theaters in foreign countries.
It put Now Playing on a path to greater success, as described in my review of Howard the Duck — our first review in that very long series.
Yet while I still ride the high Iron Man gave me in 2008, bolstered regularly by a new “fix” from Marvel Studios, I do wonder how long this will last. Movies are defined by trends; after Star Wars every studio fast-tracked their space films, but by the mid-80’s those had become passé; after Gremlins any script with tiny attackers, from Ghoulies to Critters was given the green light. The cases of Hollywood me-too-ism are legion, but they all have one thing in common: they end when the next big thing comes along.
I often ruminate on what that next trend will be, and when audiences will tire of the serialized cinema storytelling and prefer movies that provide a singular experience with no “to be continued…” at the end. I have no doubt that day will come, but I think we’re in for many more years of the Marvel Age of cinema before we get there.
Tomorrow — 2009!
Arnie is a movie critic for Now Playing Podcast, a book reviewer for the Books & Nachos podcast, and co-host of the collecting podcasts Star Wars Action News and Marvelicious Toys. You can follow him on Twitter @thearniec
‘Corn Connection’ finds A-lister among ‘Harvest’ players
Every actor has to start somewhere, and somewhere is often low-budget horror.
There are plenty of examples; Leonardo DiCaprio in Critters 3, Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander in The Burning, and Jennifer Aniston in a film Now Playing Podcast donors can hear about very soon.
As for this week’s Now Playing Podcast review of Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, we managed to find some famous faces among the cast. Okay, make that one star, some genre actors and a couple of extras you might recognize if you watch a lot of bad flicks.
But I’m not here to reprint IMDB resumes; the Corn Connection shows you where to find the actors and actresses within the Now Playing archives. So let’s get going.
Charlize Theron (Young Woman/uncredited) – Alien Retrospective Series
Harvest was Theron’s first film, before she went on to become a superstar in movies like Mighty Joe Young, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Aeon Flux. Also Monster.
It’s crazy to think that an actress like Theron was only referenced on Now Playing Podcast once, but it’s true; back during the 2012 donation drive, when the hosts covered Prometheus as part of the Alien Retrospective Series. Unfortunately, that series is no longer available.
Michael Ensign (Father Frank Nolan) – Superman Retrospective Series
Ensign is an actor you’ll recognize, although maybe not for his role as a newscaster in 1978’s Superman. I’m sure he gets more looks from fans who loved him as the snooty hotel manager in Ghostbusters, or in his role as the evil bus driver in License to Drive.
Ed Grady (Dr. Richard Appleby) – Children of the Corn Retrospective Series
Does it count if your Now Playing moments came twice in the same retrospective series? Because that’s the case with the late Mr. Grady, who played the same character in the second installment, Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice. Maybe someday the hosts will cover Grady’s role in The Notebook.
Rance Howard (Employer) – Psycho Retrospective Series
Howard, like Theron, has had roles in major blockbusters (his son is Splash director Ron Howard). Howard, like Theron, only appears once in the entire history of Now Playing Podcast (1998’s Psycho). And Howard, like Theron, appeared in a donation series that’s no longer available on the main feed (bummer).
Rif Hutton (Arnold) – Star Trek Retrospective Series
Hutton’s resume includes a long list of television and film credits, but only one of those movies was featured on Now Playing Podcast. So look for his role as a Klingon guard the next time you sit down to watch Star Trek: Generations.
Anthony Hickox (Hans, also executive producer) – Return of the Living Dead Retrospective Series
Hickox appeared as Dr. Hickox in Return of the Living Dead 3, another film that’s currently locked in the Now Playing Podcast archives. But he’s also a director, with a resume that includes Waxwork, Waxwork 2: Lost In Time and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
Brian Peck (Jake Witman) – X-Men Retrospective Series, Return of the Living Dead Retrospective Series
Peck’s resume lists a number of genre films, but his role as Hot Dog Stand Patron in X-Men and News Reporter in X2: X-Men United made him part of the Now Playing universe. He also appeared in the first three Return of the Living Dead films as the characters of Scuz, Special Zombie and Ballistic Technician, respectively. Unfortunately, those Living Dead shows are locked away in the vault.
So there you have it. A few more recognizable actors than the previous Corn film, but many who only have connections to Now Playing donation series’. Wondering how you can become a donor? This way.
Did we miss anyone? If you spot an actor or actress with a connection to Now Playing Podcast leave a comment and help a fellow listener!
New Podcast: Issue 124: I Am Electro Head
Marvel movies have had one of their best years ever in 2014. The X-Men were back with a vengeance in Days of Future Past. Captain America’s second film proved better than his first as he fought HYDRA and The Winter Soldier. A new franchise was launched, and now Guardians of the Galaxy is poised to become the year’s top-grossing film. Even The Amazing Spider-Man 2 brought in fans with its high action and final twist.
On this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie give their thoughts on Guardians, from a dancing baby Groot to a mechanical arm! Plus they run down all the Amazing Spider-Man 2 exclusive releases, and the upcoming exclusives for Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Also on this show, Marjorie and Arnie went to Wizard World Chicago where Marjorie met Winter Soldier stars Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie, plus Stan Lee, Dave Bautista, and others. Watch to find out about the artists, celebrities, and toys found at the con!
With a look at new Marvel Legends figures hitting stores, new Hot Toys and Sideshow statues up for pre-order, and more, it’s all in this new Marvelicious Toys!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT124.MP3
Category: Arts
Pre-Order Alert: Sideshow Collectibles Exclusive Emma Frost Premium Format Figure
The White Queen Emma Frost has already been recreated as a Sideshow Premium Format Figure, in a statue based on the art of J. Scott Campbell. That statue, released back in 2009, is still a great piece but as Sideshow’s roster of quarter-scale X-Men has grown, that older statue did not fit with the more realistic aesthetics of the modern Premium Format line. Numerous fans have requested Sideshow revisit Emma Frost in a style that would go alongside the figures of the past few years like Cyclops, Storm, and Jean Gray.
Now Sideshow has put up for pre-order the brand new version of Emma Frost. Standing 20-inches tall, designed by Kris Anka, this new Emma looks as she did as the 1980 Queen of the Hellfire Club. The statue’s base is themed after that hedonistic, underground society.
And if you hurry and get Sideshow’s Exclusive Edition you get a swap-out head showing the White Queen with her short hair. These alternate heads on Rogue and Storm have driven the prices of exclusive editions sky-high on eBay, but now you can get one for the regular price!
I saw this statue in person at San Diego Comic-Con. While it may be on the risque side for some collectors, the piece is beautifully sculpted. The long cape in back is fur trimmed and able to be draped in a number of ways. This statue is great for Frost fans be it in her comics, in X-Men: First Class or even X-Men Origins: Wolverine or that old Generation X TV movie!
She is scheduled to ship in April, 2015 and Flex-Pay is available, so get your order in now at Sideshow Collectibles!
New Podcast: Issue 123: San Diego Comic-Con 2014 Coverage
Exclusives. New Product Reveals. M.O.D.O.K. Me! All of this and more were hot topics of conversation at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International! Now on this episode of Marvelicious Toys join Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin live on the convention floor as they discuss the exclusives and new Marvel toys and collectibles revealed at this year’s Comic-Con.
Plus watch for exclusive interviews with Hasbro, Gentle Giant, Kotobukiya, 3-D Plus Me, and Diamond Select Toys for even more news! Discover the fate of Diamond Select’s X-Men Days of Future Past Mystique figure. Hear Hasbro’s answer as to when Bulldozer will see the light of day. Find out what Koto has planned after their Avengers Art-FX+ series ends, and so much more!
It’s just like having a press pass for SDCC, but without the aching back and sore feet! So kick back and enjoy this episode of Marvelicious Toys!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT123.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 122: It’s Raining Gwen!
Sideshow Collectibles has been hitting Marvel collectors fast and hard with tons of new pre-orders, product reveals, and more in the weeks leading up to San Diego Comic-Con. Not only are new items on the site, they’re shipping too! Two of the most hotly anticipated statues from Sideshow are the J. Scott Campbell collection’s Gwen Stacey maquette and the giant Premium Format Apocalypse figure. Join Marvelicious hosts Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie in this issue for detailed reviews of both!
But if you prefer collecting items with articulation, this show has plenty of that as well! While not yet in most stores, Hasbro’s new Marvel Infinite Series figures have been shipping from online resellers and Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie got Waves 2 and 3 from DorksideToys.com! Watch this episode and see the video reviews of these new toys including Death’s Head, Ant-Man, Red She-Hulk, Ares, and more!
With a complete run-down of exclusives going for sale tomorrow at San Diego Comic-Con International, a report of new Marvel Legends hitting stores, and so much more, it’s all in this mega-sized, 2 hour Marvelicious Toys podcast!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT122.MP3
Category: Arts
Pre-Order Alert: Sideshow Collectibles’ Sentinel Maquette
Last year Sideshow Collectibles released their gorgeous, giant Galactus Maquette. Now they have given Galactus a companion — The X-Men killer Sentinel robot!
This killer was originally conceived by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and has become a staple in X-Men stories including the recent film X-Men: Days of Future Past. Three stories tall with tons of mutant-killing gadgets, these robots mean business!
Now Sideshow gives this character a giant collectible worthy of its fictional stature. Standing 32-inches tall, weighing 20 lbs, this Maquette has a representation of the character in his classic purple and blue color scheme. Plus he has light-up hands and swap-out heads with both classic and modern looks.
You can see a review of the Galactus Maquette in Marvelicious Toys Issue 99 and check out hundreds of photos in the Marvelicious Toys Photogallery. This Sentinel is bound to have the same quality, and no X-Men fan’s collection will be complete without it!
A payment plan is available as low as $81 per month, so don’t wait, get your order in now at Sideshow Collectibles!
New Podcast: Issue 121: Marv-ILL-icious Toys
It’s like the plot of a comic book–a mysterious illness has infected the Marvelicious Toys staff. Two of the podcast hosts have had to go to the Emergency Room in the past two weeks. But the show must go on! There is just too much happening in the world of Marvel toy collecting to take a week off! So join Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin this week in Marv-ILL-icious Toys and find out about the latest Hasbro Legends and Infinite Series figures hitting stores and online!
In this podcast the hosts run down the latest exclusive information from San Diego Comic-Con including four variant statues from Kotobukiya and the new Hot Toys Iron Man Python Armor. Listen to find out how to get your hands on those!
Plus, in addition to a cold, the Guardians of the Galaxy fever is rampaging through the Marvelicious staff! After the IMAX preview Monday night the hype is in full effect. Watch the videos to see the new 2-inch Guardians figures, the Toys R Us exclusive Rocket Raccoon and much more!
And do you want the Guardians of the Galaxy Legends? Save 20% now through June 20th on your order of Guardians of the Galaxy toys at our sponsor DorksideToys.com! Use code MT20 to save on Guardians figures! (Discount does not apply to shipping; cannot be combined with any other offers).
All that and more in this issue of Marvelicious Toys!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT121.MP3
Category: Arts
Today only Kotobukiya Fine Art Psylocke, 29% off + Free shipping
Today only Entertainment Earth has a great bargain on the Kotobuikiya Psylocke Fine Art statue. Until midnight PST Psylocke is 29% off with free shipping!
From Kotobukiya! X-Force cannot be stopped! The incredible Fine Art Statue line has captured members X-23, Warpath, Dead pool, Archangel and Wolverine and now it expands to include the telepathic mutant ninja and current leader of Uncanny X-Force, PSYLOCKE! The deadly telepathic mutant stands on a ruined battlefield, focused intently on her enemies and ready to attack! Psylocke balances with her feet spread wide, gripping the broken pillar beneath her with her Japanese tabi-style boots. She leans forward with one katana held in a low guard position before her, her other hand poised behind her to strike. You can see the ninja training at work in Psylocke’s perfectly held pose, with just the floating of her long purple hair and sash to show that the world is affecting her. The powerful mutant wears her distinctive X-Force outfit consisting of a sleek black skin-tight costume, thigh high boots, long fingerless gloves and unique straps around her upper arms and legs plus a white sash belt decorated with the red and black X-Force symbol. As beautiful as she is deadly, Betsy’s likeness is spot on and conveys her otherworldly grace. As an added bonus, interchangeable parts let you display Psylocke with a second katana in her left hand or the swirling purple energy of her psychic knife! Sculpted by Erick Sosa, Psylocke stands over 10 Inch tall on her georama base in 1/6th scale with the other X-Force Fine Art Statues. Get her while you can before this psychic ninja disappears!
New Podcast: Issue 120: Guardians of the Podcast
Excitement is building for the Guardians of the Galaxy — Marvel Studios’ next cinematic adaptation of Marvel Universe superheroes. Trailers have raised awareness of rogue space criminals Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon. Now the toys are starting to hit stores, including the collector-focused Marvel Legends figures! Join Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie on this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast to hear their in-depth reviews of these five movie-based figures, as well as the comic based Iron Man and Nova figures.
Also on this show we look at Disney Infinity 2.0, the Marvel Universe installment. With characters like Captain America and Venom coming out as figures that unlock playable characters, it’s sure to be a hit with kids. But will adult collectors be drawn into this Infinity and beyond? It’s discussed on this show.
With new, exclusive Diamond Select Toys figures, Sideshow’s Iron Man Mk 42 Maquette, Black Widow sightings at retail, and more, it’s all right now in the new Marvelicious Toys podcast!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT120.MP3
Category: Arts
Fangirls Assemble: Her Universe Announces Marvel Line of Apparel
Her Universe, a company devoted to making clothes and accessories for geek girls, has just revealed a new line inspired by the heroes of Marvel Comics. The press release reads:
NEW YORK, NY – June 19th, 2014 -Her Universe™, the leader in female genre merchandise, announced today a breakthrough collaboration with Marvel Entertainment and Disney Consumer Products to create a fashionable collection of empowering Super Hero apparel for the ever-growing female fan base of Marvel comics, films and television series. The Marvel by Her Universe line of “geek couture” is premiering with an action-packed assortment of Captain America fashion items along with fan favorite Marvel characters on fashion tops, tanks, dresses, cardigans, hoodies, skirts, leggings and more that will inspire fangirls of all ages to channel their inner Super Hero.
Along with Spider-Man and Avenger characters like Loki, Thor and Iron Man, there are also strong female characters such as Black Widow, Elektra, She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel being spotlighted in their own comics and Marvel’s new “Characters and Creators” initiative which aims to speak directly to an audience of women and girls, the Marvel by Her Universe line will celebrate this effort by creating fashion forward products exclusively for the female Marvel fan.
“At Marvel we actively seek innovative opportunities to leverage our iconic characters in the marketplace and expand our storytelling to a larger audience,” said Paul Gitter, senior vice president, licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “This collaboration with Her Universe presents our brand in exciting new ways at retail while reinforcing Marvel’s values of empowerment and strength amongst our female demographic.”
Actress and entrepreneur, Ashley Eckstein, who launched Her Universe with her business partner, The Araca Group, in 2010, is well-known to sci-fi fans as the voice of Dagger on the animated series, Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man.
“I am so excited to announce that we have joined forces with Marvel for a Her Universe line of apparel,” said Eckstein. “The fans have been asking us to make Marvel merchandise and it’s been on my wish list for a long time! There are so many compelling characters in the Marvel Universe and it is a dream come true to be able to collaborate with Marvel and design with these celebrated Super Heroes and villains!”
“As long time devoted fans of the Marvel Universe,” added Michael Rego, Chief Executive Officer of The Araca Group, “we feel incredibly humbled to work alongside this most iconic brand – ‘Nuff said!'”
Marvel apparel and accessories from the Her Universe collection will be available in the U.S. at both HerUniverse.com and through national retail outlets such as Hot Topic and online with ThinkGeek.com. Throughout the year, Marvel merchandise will also be available at select conventions including San Diego Comic-Con.
Listen to Her Universe Founder, Ashley Eckstein, talk about Fangirls and Marvel on “The Nerdist Comics Panel” podcast Saturday June 21st at http://www.nerdist.com/
podcast_channel/nerdist- comics-panel-channel/.
The price range for the items ranges from $28.00 for a tank top or jersey to $45.00 for the Captain America Costume Dress.
While the logo indicates the clothing line can pull from all corners of the Marvel Universe these initial offerings have a strong Avengers link with the majority of items being Captain America or S.H.I.E.L.D. related. The only exception to this is the Graffiti Rogue Tank at this time.
Marvelicious Toys Podcast co-host and noted Marvel T-Shirt collector Marjorie Carvalho told us that the Avengers tank top and the Captain America Cardigan were two items she was eyeing from these initial offerings though she said, “ I wish that [the cardigan] didn’t have the shield on the back.” She stated she was very interested in being able to judge these items in person at the Her Universe booth at San Diego Comic-Con in July.
Stay tuned to the Marvelicious Toys Podcast for further coverage of the Her Universe clothing line, especially in their coverage of San Diego Comic-Con next month!
What do YOU think of the Her Universe Marvel collection? Let us know in the comments below!
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- The first items in Her Universe’s Marvel Line
New Podcast: Issue 119: Hot Toys, We Salute You
Pre-orders seem to be like plane crashes, they always come in threes. So with tons of new items arriving on their doorsteps Marvelicious Toys hosts Justin, Arnie, and Marjorie are here with a bonus episode of the podcast!First they look at Iron Patriot, the first Die Cast Hot Toys Iron Man figure released. Standing 12-inches tall, coming with a bevvy of accessories and light-up features, listen to find out why the hosts think this is a figure worthy of a sharp salute!Then the next Avengers Art-FX+ statue has been released from Kotobukiya: Black Widow. Based upon art by Adi Granov and crafted with Kotobukiya’s attention to detail, listen to find out if this femme fatale should find a prominent place in your collection.And finally for those who prefer their statues quite a bit larger Sideshow has released their quarter-scale 19-inch Black Widow Premium Format Figure. For this piece Sideshow gave the Russian spy a likeness more in line with her comic book incarnation, dressed in black leather with the trademark gold belt and stingers. On this show find out if you should get this statue in her sights, and hear a comparison with Sideshow’s Iron Man 2 movie-based Black Widow Premium Format Figure with a Scarlett Johansson likeness.With the latest from Marvelicious Toys sponsor DorksideToys and more, it’s all in this bonus issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT119.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 118: Ducks of Future Past
The third film based on Marvel Comics has hit theaters — X-Men: Days of Future Past. While toy tie-ins have been few, the movie itself has been a huge success becoming the top grossing X-Men film worldwide! On this issue of Marvelicious Toys Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie give their brief review of this film. So join them and then come to our forums to share your thoughts!But from the newest Marvel film to the oldest–Howard the Duck, the first Marvel Comics character to be featured in a live action feature. Recently some rare items from this film showed up on eBay, and Arnie went ducking nuts over them. Listen to find out about these one-of-a-kind collectibles!With new Infinite Series figures in stores and online, Guardians of the Galaxy Legends, a new wave of X-Men Marvel Legends figures and much, much more, it’s all in the new issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!And join us next week for a bonus issue of Marvelicious Toys where we review the Hot Toys Iron Patriot MMS figure and three Black Widow statues!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT118.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 117: Flocking A Pop
Last year at San Diego Comic-Con Kotobukiya showed off the unpainted model for their Art-FX+ Hulk Statue. It has now been released and the Marvelicious Toys hosts have it in hand! Listen to find out why this is a smashing collectible you need to rush to own. Then head back to our San Diego Comic-Con podcast to hear our interview with Adi about the statue!Also on this week’s show, Marjorie, Justin, and Arnie have seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With the Legends, 3.75-inch, and Hot Toys all ordered…was the movie any good? Listen to hear their thoughts on the latest Marvel superhero movie, and their anticipation for this weekend’s X-Men: Days of Future Past!With a report from the Toy Man Toy Show in St. Louis, a new Diamond Select exclusive in Disney Stores, a Hot Toys release that’s really a bust, and so much more, it’s all in this Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT117.MP3
Category: Arts
The Next Wave of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends are Revealed
At Toy Fair International, 2014 Hasbro revealed the first three waves of their new (more expensive) Marvel Legends Infinite Series figures, those being Captain America, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy–each wave tying directly in with a theatrical Marvel film’s release. But in my interview with Dwight Stall (which you can hear in Issue 110 of the Marvelicious Toys Podcast) a secret wave of Legends was teased.
It appears we now have confirmation that wave is going to be X-Men themed, and contain several figures that were cancelled from previous waves.
We received the image on the right from Marvelicious Toys listener John Classified. A shot taken from a Japanese catalog shows the X-Men themed wave will have Magneto, Wolverine, Storm, Stryfe, Marvel NOW Cyclops, and the build-a-figure appears to be the long-awaited Jubilee!
This release makes perfect sense. Many of these figures, including Stryfe and Jubilee, were shown at the Hasbro booth display at San Diego Comic-Con. The toolings were complete, Hasbro just needed a retail outlet to distribute the figures. And with the release of the upcoming film X-Men: Days of Future Past an X-Men themed wave of figures seemed not only logical but inevitable.
More, unlike the Marvel Studios films, such as Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and The Avengers, where Marvel Comics and Hasbro work together to make figures representing the on-screen looks for these heroes, in recent years when 20th Century Fox puts out a Marvel movie the toys are always comic based. Hasbro only released 4 limited articulation, comic based figures to capitalize on last year’s film The Wolverine. And when I asked at Toy Fair in 2011 about figures for the film X-Men: First Class I was told that Marvel would make toys for their First Class, the comic book series, not the film.
So clearly this wave is great for X-Men fans and Legends collectors alike. I’m excited to see Hasbro finding ways to get some of these “in limbo” Legends figures out for retail.
But the final question remains…could it be possible for the Pheonix Five Cyclops to be a variant for Marvel NOW Cyclops? One can hope.
We’ll report as soon as we hear, so please follow us at Marvelicious Toys and subscribe to our podcast for all the latest updates!
New Podcast: Issue 116: C2-Tattoo
Last weekend was C2E2 in Chicago and Marjorie and Arnie were there to look at the new toys shown by Diamond Select Toys, show exclusives, toys on the floor, and more! Listen to this episode of Marvelicious Toys podcast to hear about Chicago’s biggest comic and toy convention!And from the biggest convention to the smallest Funko Marvel Toys — Mystery Minis have exploded into the marketplace. On this episode Marjorie reviews some Mini figures provided to us by show sponsor Dorkside Toys!With a Timely Review of Toy Biz X-Men teams, a chance to win a Marvel Infinite Series Wasp figure, some SDCC event news, and so much more, it’s all in this Marvelicious Toys podcast!
And hear Arnie’s reviews of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier at nowplayingpodcast.com
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT116.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 115: See the New Figures in Infinite!
Hasbro’s new MARVEL INFINITE SERIES of figures are here! A rebrand of the Marvel Universe figure line that ran from 2009 to 2013, these highly articulated, comic-inspired, collector-focused figures are back with new black cards. Three waves have already been put up for order, and the hosts of Marvelicious Toys have the first wave in hand. Grim Reaper! Hyperion! Marvel NOW Hulk! And the infinitely hard to find Wasp! Listen to find out if these is the same figure line 3.75-inch collectors have come to love! Plus you can win an Infinite Series Wasp figure! Details are on this show!Also in this episode, Marjorie and Arnie have just come from Wizard World St. Louis and are preparing to go to C2E2 this weekend. Listen to find out about the shopping, the sketch covers, and Arnie vs. The Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno!With two new Sideshow Premium Format figures, a swinging new Hot Toys figure release, a review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, discount Marvel Legends figures and more, it’s all in this jam-packed issue of the Marvelicious Toys video podcast!If you have seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier hear Arnie’s full review at nowplayingpodcast.com
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT115.MP3
Category: Arts
Pre-Order Alert: Sideshow Collectibles’ Exclusive Jean Gray Premium Format Figure
Perhaps the thing I like most about Sideshow Collectibles’ recent Premium Format Figures based on Marvel Comics characters is their ability to create sets. Initially Sideshow would put out some of Marvel’s most popular characters. After the “new” of the license wore off, however, the fine folks at Sideshow have endeavored to create groups of figures where a fan could buy the one character they like most, or buy entire sets to collect a team. They’ve done this with their quarter-scale statues from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they’ve done this with their comic-based Avengers, and they’ve done it with the X-Men. Now, continuing to deepen the roster of X-Men characters comes their exclusive Jean Grey Premium Format Figure.
For fans of this founding member of the X-Men (and the original lone female character) this is an awesome standalone piece. 18-inches tall this statue shows Jean in her 90s yellow and blue outfit. Plus the exclusive edition has a swap-out head that shows her hair in the ponytail as seen in the animated TV series.
But that nod to the cartoon shows that Sideshow is savvy with their selection of characters. Previous X-Men figures Cyclops, Gambit, and Psylocke come with the matching “X” base allowing for a unified display. However their previous exclusive Rogue Premium Format really shows their commitment to the 1990s cartoon, as that figure also had an exclusive head to resemble her cartoon appearance. (Strangely, however, Sideshow’s Storm Premium Format Figure focused on her more revealing outfit and a stone base, making her the one X-Man star the 90s cartoon to not get a figure from Sideshow totally different than her animated appearance).
The exclusive Rogue goes for $800-$1000 on eBay. While it seems there are more fans of Rogue than Jean Gray (at least in her non-Phoenix attire) there’s no doubt the Sideshow exclusive version will sell fast and cost more on the secondary market. So don’t hesitate–place your order now at Sideshow Collectibles!
New Podcast: Issue 114: Captain America — [BLEEP] Yeah!
Did you see Captain America: The Winter Soldier last weekend? Along with Cap, Black Widow, and Nick Fury, new screen hero The Falcon spread his wings and showed he has the right stuff to be an Avenger! But Marvel toy collectors who want their favorite flying Falcon in figure form won’t find him in 6-inches, Hasbro has only made that figure in the smaller 3.75-inch Captain America movie line. On this week’s show Marjore, Arnie, and special guest host Jerry look at the first two waves of Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie figures. From Cap to Falcon, Winter Soldier, and Red Skull, are these kids toys or great collector items? Listen to find out!Plus we’re barely off Captain America when the hype hits hard for the next Marvel superhero hitting the big screen: The Amazing Spider-Man 2! On this show the hosts also review that movie’s 3.75-inch figure line with a light-up Electro and a tangled web of Spider-Man costumes.With a look at Hot Toys’ newest pre-orders, Sideshow’s Hulking entries in the Premium Format Figure line, and the one-of-a-kind Phoenix Five Cyclops Marvel Legends figure that sold for over $1,000 on eBay, we run down all the latest Marvel toy news on this issue of Marvelicious Toys!Note: This podcast is 100% spoiler free. There are no Captain America: The Winter Soldier spoilers, so feel free to listen! If you have seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier hear Arnie’s full review at nowplayingpodcast.com
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT114.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 113: Don’t You Know That You’re Toxin
Boomerang. Spider-Girl. Toxin. The three figures together make up the new offerings from Hasbro’s second wave of Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends, and they are hitting pegs now in force! On this Marvelicious Toys episode your hosts Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie provide in-depth reviews of each of these new swap-out figures and compare them to their previous versions!Also on this episode Marjorie and Arnie recount last weekend’s Planet Comicon in Kansas City. With Marvel guests like Skottie Young and Dave Johnson, as well as tons of vendors, listen to find out about the going rates for figures, as well as some unique and rare finds!With a look at Hot Toys’ new Captain America Movie Masterpiece Series figures, excitement over The Avengers 2–Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and so much more, it’s all in this episode of Marvelicious Toys!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT113.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 112: A Glutton for Punisher
Sideshow Collectibles latest Marvel Comics Premium Format Figure is arriving on doorsteps–The Punisher in his Classic Costume! It’s the second version of this comic killer in Sideshow’s quarter scale line. How does it compare to the original release and should you order one? The answers are in this week’s podcast.Also in this week’s show, the second wave of Captain America Marvel Legends are hitting pegs, and selling out. The Black Widow is going for as high as $80 on Amazon and eBay. What would make this figure so valuable to collectors, and are they worth the hunt? Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin review Captain America, the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and the Mandroid on this show!With a look at the Thor: The Dark World home video release hoopla, Geof looking at EZHobi’s Marvel Cinematic Universe collectibles, and more, it’s all in this week’s Marvelicious Toys video and audio podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT112.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 111: Toy Fair 2014 – LEGO, 3A, Kotobukiya, Funko, and more from Javits!
LEGO MODOK. Need we say more? Okay, LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy! Three A Dr. Doom figures! Kotobukiya’s Avengers Assembled. Ghost Rider Labbits. So much Marvel goodness was on display last week at New York City’s Javits Center for Toy Fair International, and on this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie run down the hot new items you’ll want to collect!Note: Marvelicious Toys’ enhanced podcasts are now full HD video podcasts! The audio version of our show is also still available. Read all about it in Arnie’s blog post.
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT111.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 110: Toy Fair 2014 – Hasbro Reveals!
What new Marvel comics action figures will we be drooling over in 2014? Hasbro tells us in their 2014 Toy Fair presentation! Marvel Legends and 3.75-inch figure lines based on the comics and movies will be coming out this year, plus tons of other toys for kids and collectors alike! Spider-Man, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, and so much more, hear about it all in this week’s special edition of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!Note: Marvelicious Toys’ enhanced podcasts are now full HD video podcasts! The audio version of our show is also still available. Read all about it in Arnie’s blog post.
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT110.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 109: To Infinite and Beyond!
Collectors of action figures based on the Marvel Universe comics and movies have a reason to be excited. After an ominous tease at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the Marvel Universe figure line replacement is revealed–it’s the Marvel Infinite Series figures. With no Avengers subtitle, no restriction on character selection, and even Marvel Universe figures repacked, it’s a continuation of the line collectors have loved for years. On this issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast, Marjorie, Justin, and Arnie run down this news and give their thoughts.Fans of 6-inch figures can be excited as well, the new Infinite Series Legends figures are amazing, and nearly impossible to find! As the second wave of Spider-Man Legends start to hit store pegs, watch a review of the first wave of Captain America Legends. With troop builders like the Hydra and A.I.M. soldiers, baddies like Baron Zemo and Red Skull, plus two different versions of Cap himself, all are reviewed this episode!With a review of Kotobukiya’s new X-Force Psyclocke Bishoujo statue, a reason to put up with K-Mart’s foul stench, and a charity auction you won’t want to miss, it’s all in this week’s issue of the Marvelicious Toys video podcast!Note: Marvelicious Toys’ enhanced podcasts are now full HD video podcasts! The audio version of our show is also still available. Read all about it in Arnie’s blog post.
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT109.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 108: There’s Something About Mary Jane
Face it, podcast listener, you just hit the jackpot! On this massive, movie-length issue of the Marvelicious Toys video podcast the Marvelicious hosts have received the brand new J Scott Campbell Mary Jane Comiquette from Sideshow Collectibles. Campbell is one of the hottest Marvel cover artists around right now, and his line of Spider-Man statues has a lot of buzz. Watch this week’s episode to see tons of pictures of this sexy redhead and find out if she needs to join your collection!But this latest statue is only the most recent Mary Jane representation in polystone. For a non-powered love interest Mary Jane has been represented in several statues. Also in this issue Marjorie, Arnie, and Justin look at three previous Mary Jane statues: one from Kotobukiya, one from Bowen, and the infamous Adam Hughes Comiquette from Sideshow. Hughes’ statue caused quite a stir when it was originally released, and in this issue you can hear an exclusive interview with the legendary pin-up artist discussing this and his other statue work!With an eBay peek at Hasbro’s second wave of Amazing Spider-Man legends, a Guardians of the Galaxy report from CES, and oh so much more, it’s all in this brand new Marvelicious Toys!Note: Marvelicious Toys’ enhanced podcasts are now full HD video podcasts! The audio version of our show is also still available. Read all about it in Arnie’s blog post.
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT108.MP3
Category: Arts
New Podcast: Issue 107: Carnage in the Toy Aisle
Note: Marvelicious Toys’ enhanced podcasts are now full HD video podcasts! Read all about it in Arnie’s blog post.
Marvel action figure collectors, we hope you didn’t spend all your cash on the holidays because Hasbro has started shipping tons of new figures! 6-inch Marvel Legends figures tying into The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier are now hitting pegs, months before the corresponding movies will come out. Plus the 4-inch figure lines for both movies are also showing up! On this issue of Marvelicious Toys Marjorie, Justin, and Arnie run down all the new toys being released. Plus you can hear in-depth, hands on reviews of the first wave of Amazing Spider-Man 2 Legends including Superior Spider-Man, Black Cat, Carnage, Beetle, and the movie-based Electro and Spider-Man!
But not all the new Hasbro products fit the existing figure lines. Also showing up en masse are Hasbro’s Marvel Superhero Mashers. Want a Spider-Man head on a Hulk body with Hawkeye’s arms? This toy line allows you to mix and match the body parts and accessories of your favorite heroes. The hosts give a review of these items and say if they are fun for kids, adults, or anyone!
With a rundown of clearance sales, new blind boxed Marvel toys from Funko, high end releases from Sideshow, and one last release of figures from Hasbro’s cancelled Marvel Universe line, it’s all in this jam-packed VIDEO issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!
Listen Now: http://www.marvelicioustoys.com/Podcasts/MT107.MP3
Category: Arts
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