NYCC 2015: Mezco Booth

Mezco brought some huge guns to this years NYCC.  Their DC game is in full swing with new Flash and Superman offerings.  The Batman figures (One 12) are being hailed as some of the most incredible Batman likenesses brought to the format and I absolutely 100% agree.  Cape poseability…yes please.  So much excellent stuff to see at Mezco, and so many great exclusives.  Get down there this weekend if you are in town, tell em MUReview sent ya… and pretty much nothing special will happen.  In fact, they might look at you funny, but hey! Look at the awesome pictures and go buy their stuff!

NYCC 2015: Diamond Select Toys Booth

First stop along the NYCC express this year…as with most years where I can help it, was the Diamond Select Toys booth to visit friend to MUReview and litlgeeks, Zach!  Zach took us through the booth and the display cases and showed us some incredible stuff.  …it’s all in the pictures so I don’t want to waste too much of your eyeballs on my fancy words, but you have some things to look forward to “soon” to “a little later than soon”.

  • A 15 figure set of Ghost Busters that builds the top of the building from the ends scene of Ghost Busters!
  • Back to the Future Minimates literally out the wazoo, with vehicles!
  • Muppet Minimates
  • More Nightmare Before Christmas Minimates
  • A ton of great Marvel Minimates
  • I want that freaking Green Lantern bank!
  • So many amazing DC property items, bust banks, statues, they are all gorgeous!
  • Jay, Silent Bob, yeah, they got em’.

Thanks for taking the time to have us down DST!  You guys are the best, the new booth looks great, and we will keep visiting just in case you put out some new stuff.  Now, have a look at the awesome plastics!

 

NYCC 2015: Hasbro Marvel Brand Interview

MUReview had the great pleasure and honor to speak with the Marvel Brand team members from Hasbro today just outside of New York Comic Con.  Interview sessions were a strict timed 10 minutes (understandable, everyone gets a turn!), and because I pretty much love whatever Hasbro puts to plastic under the Marvel brand, I reached out to you, fans of MUReview, to see what you guys might want to have asked.

For the sake of brevity, I have listened to the interview.  I will not be posting the audio interview. I sound like a tool, and there was some cursing…mostly because I was nervous…and I curse when I’m nervous.  Back to it, for the sake of brevity, I listened to the review, and will be transcribing answers in a paraphrased question and answer format as best as possible.

The interview took place with Tony Kola, Mike Breslin, Dwight Stahl (I apologize for any mis-spellings).

We began our conversation with a brief recap of what’s coming for 2016 in the 3.75 inch Marvel line, then we got away from it and went back to it, so for ease of reading, while Mike B apologized for not having the whole roster memorized (…like he SHOULD have (kidding), the whole team chimed in and we got through what’s coming:

Secret Wars 2-packs

  • Young Thor and Female Thor
  • Captain Marvel (Danvers) (mask on) and Kree Captain Marvel (the best ever)
  • Captain Falcon / America and Vance Astro / Major Victory (high fives all around on Vance Astro!)
  • Hyperion Max and Hyperion Marvel Now

 

The newly branded Marvel Legends 3.75 inch line

  • Noir Spider-Man
  • Iron Man (Mark 1? 2? Can’t remember)
  • Yondu
  • Captain Marvel (Danvers)
  • Ulik
  • Triton

 

Now to the questions.

Will we see a return to more accessories for the 3.75 inch line?

Mike B – ‘With any figure, 6 inch or 3.75, we want to get the right gear for the right person, if they have a signature piece or signature weapon we want to get that to the fans.’

Mike admits to kicking himself for not including a chain with Ghost Rider (so you all can stop, he’s doing it by himself.

 

 

Any chance stands will ever come back?

Mike B – ‘They could, they were knocked away a few years back for cost savings a few years back.  There is no plans currently to include stands.’

Fans have expressed frustration with steep price inconsistencies, even at different locations of the same retailer.  What is the official price?

Dwight – ‘That’s an interesting question, because it’s really up to our retailer, we can’t price fix.  We can sell them goods at a specific price point and margin, then it’s up to the stores.  It’s interesting in the dynamic you are experiencing, it’s because of the success and the growth of the segment.  You see some retailers experimenting with the price point to see what the elasticity is. The good news is that this space is growing at such a rapid rate.  We’re all excited, because remember that little four foot section of the store that used to be for collector and fan, now that’s a whole aisle.  We’re growing as fast as we can, we can’t control everything, we can’t price fix, but our goal is to add as much quality in there as possible and it’s up to the retailer to sell it for what they see fit’.

 

Will the 6 (or 3.75) inch line of Marvel receive any vehicle / diorama treatment (as is being done with Star Wars lines)?

Mike B – ‘I would love to see us get to that point of entry for 6 inch.  I think when you talk about the other things, the vehicles and stuff for guys to go in, there is no IP that has as strong of a balance between vehicles and figures.  Marvel doesn’t have that yet.  You know when characters shoot lasers from their eyes or most of them can fly or can punch through walls,  you don’t need a taxi or a vehicle to drive you around.  So it’s more of a challenge to find a Quinjet or a hover cycle or even Ghost Riders Motorcycle.  That’s not to say that we won’t or that we haven’t had conversations about it.  We would love to see us get to a point where we think we could deliver you guys a quality item of that nature, but right now none of those things are currently in the plan.

 

I see you have a first member of the Serpent Society here.  Are there any plans to continue and complete the Serpent Society (Legends 6 inch)?

Mike B – ‘If Jessie Falcon has anything to do with it, yes you will see more Serpent Society…and he carries a little bit of weight”.

 

Will Hasbro be producing new product for Doctor Strange and Civil War?

Mike B –  ‘We are working on some product for Doctor Strange but we are not revealing what that is at this time but we will be showing that at Toy Fair in February.

Tons of Civil War stuff, just a few months away.’

 

Fans are curious to see how Hasbro stands with Marvel’s current initiative of trying to murder the X-Men.  Are we going to keep getting X-Men figures??

Mike B – ‘I would make X-Men every year if it was up to me. Sadly it’s not solely up to me.   But Marvel is not opposed to us looking at X-Men in our fan offerings.  They are fully in support of our Rogue figure, and Rogue is the first figure of an all new, first ever X-Men Legends Marvel BAF wave.  She’s the first of 6-7 figures that will be out there.  Because of the upcoming X-Movies for 2016, Marvel is very behind this.   I think this is one of. This is a very fantastic wave!”

 

I hope you guys out there in reader land are happy with the answers to some of the burning questions surrounding Hasbro / Marvel plastic.  I firmly believe that 2016 is going to be a monster year for the brand.  After meeting with the brand team today, and Bobby V. last night, I couldn’t be much more confident with the folks running the line, that they have the passion and the creativity to make my favorite figures shine well into the future!  Thank you again so much Hasbro, Justin, Brandon, Dwight, Mike, Tony, for taking the time to meet with MUReview.  See you at Toy Fair!

NYCC 2015: Hasbro – Twas The Night Before Party

Twas the Night Before NYCC and all through New York City, people were hanging out with Hasbro down around 18th St.  I guess it wasn’t all through NYC, it was really very particular to that area and those people, but either way.  Hasbro had a party. NYCC was honored to be invited, and we took lots and lots of pictures to share with you!

Star Wars has some of the hottest media properties in the world between Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, also Star Wars…. They strive every day to do those brands justice, and they kill it every time.  Tonight was one of those awesome culminations of killage, where media and press are able to come together and check out all that Hasbro has coming soon.  I mean…freakin old Han Solo! Amirite? or Amirite?!

 

Star Wars

Hasbro has a billion Micro Machines, a mass, an armada even, of Star Wars vehicles, and the much coveted Black Series of 6 inch figures.  They have bigger figures too, smaller ones, games, and more!  All were on display, but the most oggled was the much aged Harrison Ford as Han Solo from the forthcoming Force Awakens film.  Check em out!

 

Transformers

I grew up on Transformers.  I can quote every line from the 86 movie.  It is a part of me.  So Marvel bringing to life a real and proper Galvatron for one has me salivating.  Lest we not forget DEVASTATOR, which is already on shelves.   Tons of Autobots and Decepticons were on display including a Blaster that turns into a base, with more cassette tapes than a Camaro in 1989.

Also not to be forgotten, the brand spankin new, out yesterday, Transformers Devastation!  I got a few minutes to sit and bust up Devastator.  He wasn’t happy about it, I was, and I even walked out with a free copy from a fancy raffle!

 

Marvel

Check out our Marvel coverage HERE, and check out the pictures all over again down below.

3.75″ Legends

 

6″ Legends

 

Playmation

Oh my god I’m so annoyed that I’m going to have to buy this.  I kept seeing it in stores and saying, nah, kids are fine with out it.  Nah, I played laser tag, good enough.  Wrong was I.  Playmation innovates and excites in all the right places. It gives the player a way to interact with toys in the real world like nothing I’ve ever seen before….plus, you get to wear a blaster.  Each figure you buy is levels, the starter pack comes with a wearable piece for you to blow up virtual objects, it’s a win all around and just in time for Christmas!

 

Thanks again Hasbro, MUReview.net had an amazing time and we always do!  Your parties are second to none.  The drinks are always inventive.  The food is always something I talk to people about for the next year…remember those buffalo chicken bites on celery sticks??  This year though…french onion soup grilled cheese?  I want to still eat it now!

NYCC 2015: Hasbro – Twas The Night Before Party – Marvel

NYCC is a magical time of year.  It has taken over early October for me for the last 5 or so annuals, and it’s always awesome. However, for those same five years, but more awesome, is the night before NYCC.  Hasbro does it and does it right in the form of a party…that is awesome.  With great food, and great drink, and great times.  But I digress.  I’m just here to talk Marvel, and that’s why I was at the Hasbro Twas The Night Before Party tonight, to talk Marvel, to learn Marvel!  Tonight, more than any other, I achieved that, met great people, had a great time, and…learned some Marvel!

I’m going to split my galleries in two pieces, 3.75 and 6 inch figures for Marvel.  It’ll just make it easier, and I’ll split what I want to say in two as well, because why not?

Marvel 3.75 IS NOW MARVEL LEGENDS! (BUT SMALLER…BUT ALSO MARVEL LEGENDS)

My first stop this evening was a tiny table with 6 carded figures on it.  Ulik, Captain Marvel, Yondu, Iron Man, Noir Spider-Man and Triton.  This wave, announced at SDCC was adorned in all new packaging for the 3.75 scale, fully branded with Marvel Legends.  Unifying the brand does a lot of good, it shows one front to the customer, and I for one think people are smart enough to figure out…this figure is big, this figure is small.  The packaging at any rate is fantastic, back to amazing artwork on the cardbacks!  This particular line featured only one figure with accessories, Yondu, and it was interesting to note that the cardback featured wording stating that your kids would choke and surely die if they played with it….it said something like that.  The figures were awesome, they will be awesome as wave one of 2016, but what was more awesome, was getting some time with the Master of Marvel 3.75 at Hasbro Bobby V.  It was great to get to meet the man behind the brand, because I found out what I’m sure at least a few other people know.  The guy has passion for plastic, passion for heroes, passion for Marvel and he’s an amazing champion for the line.  He’s got elbow joints tattooed on him….he’s not f’n around.  We had a good conversation about the state of the line, much of it, any fan already knows.  Less articulation = lower costs = better margins = line longevity.  But what is behind that is someone who truly cares about the characters, about the art, and about what gets put in a box for you to purchase.  This line is in fantastic hands!  I was assured that 2016 is going to be a monster year for deep characters and I can’t wait!

 

Marvel Legends 6″

On display was a coming wave(s) of Marvel Legends figures featuring Onslaught as the BAF, Rogue was front and center.  We had a few Taskmasters, one I believe of the Udon variety, Cottonmouth, Sharon Carter, Whirlwind, a new Captian America mold that is astonishing, and Mockingbird.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of conversation with brand about the 6 inch flavor of Marvel, but I do have an interview tomorrow that I am very much looking forward to, so stay tuned!

 

For more coverage of the Hasbro 2015 Twas The Night Before NYCC Party, check back at MUReview.net early and often! It’s coming!