Marvel Universe action figures - wave 10

Top row (from left): Captain Britain, Team X Wolverine, Multiple Man & Mystique

Middle row (from left): Ghost Rider, Green Hulk & Spider-Man (Red/Blue)

Bottom row (from left): Colossus, Iron Patriot & Wrecker

Although I have not seen wave 9 of this Marvel Universe toyline in Singapore departmental stores yet, the catalog photos of wave 10 are already available online.  The new characters this time are Captain Britain, Team X Wolverine, Multiple Man, Mystique & Ghost Rider!  As usual when they finally arrive in the local stores, there will be a mad rush by fans and collectors for the new and popular figures of the wave. 

I also wonder is there such a limited release of this toyline at mass retail here, while Iron Man 2 movie figures and Star Wars toys flood the shelves for prolonged periods of time, with regular restocks?  The Marvel Universe Comic Packs on the other hand are not really flying off the shelves that quickly anymore.  There seems to be a glut of them warming the retail pegs and shelves now. 

Anyway if you are collecting this toyline, you do realise by now that there are still many more characters in the Marvel Universe that have yet to be made into toys.  As long as this toyline doesn’t get cancelled anytime soon, be prepared to not just save up for future new and variant releases, but also make more room in your home to store them all.  Happy Marvel toys collecting!

Marvel Universe Comic Packs action figures - wave 6

Hmmm, I can’t see what’s new in this wave.  If they call it wave 6 and not a revised wave, then there must be new comic pack pairs but I don’t see which are the ones.  Anyway, the repeated pairs here are mostly the recent new pairs and popular figures.  So I believe they will still sell well.  Happy waiting for these toys to arrive in SIngapore! 

Marvel Universe Comic Packs action figures - wave 5 rev 1

Here’s an update of the equally never ending Marvel Universe Comic Packs action figures.  The new pairs are Dark Phoenix & Cyclops, and Wolverine & Spiderman (Dark Reign).  The rest are repeated pairs from the earlier waves.  This wave is scheduled for worldwide retail release from June 2010.  Happy waiting for these toys to come to Singapore!

Marvel Universe action figures - wave 9

Top row (from left): Iron Patriot, Captain America (Ultimate), Skrull Soldier & Modern Thor.

Bottom row (from left): Iron Man (Classic), Iron Spider-Man, Winter Soldier, Wrecker & Mary Jane (w/Ms Lion)

The toy photos for wave 9 of the Marvel Universe toyline are available online now!  Here we have more new Marvel characters added to the never ending line up!  The Mary Jane figure looks disappointing but Ms Lion her dog looks the part!  This wave is estimated to go on sale worldwide from August 2010.  Currently in Singapore, we have up to wave 7 on sale at mass retail here.

Happy toys collecting!

Marvel Universe action figures - wave 8

Top row: Spider-Man (House of M), Iron Man & Original Captain America.

Middle row: Havok, Colossus & Juggernaut.

Bottom row: Kitty Pryde w/Lockheed, Archangel & A.I.M. Soldier.

The Marvel Universe toyline is getting more interesting as new Marvel characters are made and released.  But then it’s also a 2-edged sword.  The better looking some figures are, the more popular they are and it becomes harder to get hold of them.  Hence I’ll probably not have much chance of seeing many of the above wave 8 figures in person before they get picked up by fans and collectors here.  I really like Archangel from this wave.  I hope that I’ll have a chance to get him some day!  Meanwhile, happy waiting for these Marvel Universe toys to arrive in Singapore!

My Hardest-To-Find Set-Completer Toy Of The Year Award 2009 goes to:

2 Winners: “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” toyline - Cyclops & Iceman!

Comments: These 2 figures from wave 3 were not sold in Singapore.  I nearly gave up having them in my collection until I found them by chance during my recent holiday trip to the US!  I got Cyclops at Walmart in LA, and Iceman at FAO Schwarz in Las Vegas.  Without these recent acquisitions, I could have considered getting them from ebay.

From left: Maverick, Deadpool, Wolverine & Gambit.

Cyclops and Iceman are currently still Mint-On-Card (MOC) as I can’t bear to remove them from their packaging yet.  Someday when I do free them, they shall join the rest of the above figures in my collection!

From left: Sabretooth & Wolverine w/motor bike.

These 2 figures fight ‘can’t get along’ and they ‘fight’ a lot.  Hence it’s best to separate them to minimize possible paint damage to them.  Hasbro didn’t name this pair “Back Road Brawl” for nothing, LOL!

I don’t collect every figure from this toyline, just the main characters whom I like in their classic uniforms.  (Okay Cyclops isn’t exactly in the 90’s blue and yellow straps uniform that I prefer him to be in.  Here he looks like he’s wearing a diving suit!)  Hence in a way, I do consider my set “complete” for now!

If you are a toy collector on holiday in the US, there are a number of places to find the the toys you want.  Most of the time, the large departmental stores like Walmart, Cosco, K-Mart and Target offer greater selections of the typical collectible action figures and toys such as Transformers, Star Wars, G.I.Joe and My Little Pony.  But the variety and quantity available at each place will vary and may not be consistent.  It really depends on your toy hunting good luck to be there at the right day and time.

One thing for certain is that when you are shopping as a tourist, be very decisive on whether you want to buy the toys whenever you come across them.  You may not have the time to return to the store again should you regret not buying it earlier.  Usually we are quite pressed for time when on holiday as you also wish to visit the other places of interest, which can be very far away, especially in a huge country like the US. 

Some toy shopping opportunities that I found during my recent trip to Los Angeles (LA) and Las Vegas are at:

Walmart at Long Beach California, FAO Schwarz (aka Toy ‘R’ Us) at Las Vegas (The Outlet Center & The Forum Shops), Universal Studios and Disneyland.

Walmart at Long Beach, California.

My toy hauls from Walmart:

Top row - Movie G.I.Joe Paris Pursuit Baroness & Agent Helix. 

Bottom row - Arctic Assault Storm Shadow & “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” Cyclops.

Read more »

Here we have the next highly anticipated wave 6 of the 3.75-inch Marvel Universe action figures that Hasbro has planned for Marvel fans and collectors.  According to online sources, these are scheduled for the retail stores in early 2010.  However, they could arrive much earlier than expected in some countries. 

This time round, the new characters are (see bottom row of above photo, from left) Jean Grey, Warpath, House of M Spiderman, Wolverine (Unmasked) and Sunfire!  And this time, they come with figure stands printed with their names, just like the 3.75-inch G.I.Joe movie action figures!  At last, Hasbro has listened to the Marvel fans!  I hope the previous characters from the past waves will be re-released with figure stands too! 

These figures retail for SGD 18.90 each here in Singapore, compared to the US retail price of USD 7.99 (approx SGD 11.20) for each of these same little action figures over there.  Nevertheless, this Marvel Universe toyline has lots of fans and collectors here.  Hence do expect the new characters of wave 6 to ‘fly off’ the pegs and shelves within days of being hung out for sale in our local stores.   

Now that I’ve stopped collecting this toyline, I find it much easier to blog about them.  I’ve put up my MOC Marvel Universe collection for sale.  Most have already been sold at my toy locker 12G at Toy Outpost (Plaza Singapura, 7th floor, diagonally opposite cinema box office).  There are still some left.  Just seek the help of the friendly store personnel at Toy Outpost if you need to examine the items up close or purchase them.  You can view the remaining figures of my sale list in here at this blog post!  Happy toy shopping!

Marvel Universe Comic Packs action figures - wave 2

From left to right: Spiderman (black) & Magneto; Hulk & Cyclops; Iron Man & Spider Woman.

The first wave of Marvel Universe Comic Packs action figures have been sighted in many local departmental stores for several weeks already.  The initial first few batches sold out quickly, but the subsequent restocks of wave 1 are now warming the shelves at some retail stores.

Nevertheless, there is news that wave 2 of the Marvel Universe Comic Packs action figures will be expected at some collectible toy shops with effect from next week.  Each 2-pack comes with an issue of “Secret Wars” comic book.  If you buy all the Comic Packs in the previous first wave; plus from this second wave and from future waves, you’ll be able to complete the “Secret Wars storyline”.

The price is SGD 29.90 per Comic Pack and it adds up to a slightly better deal than buying the single pack figures (at SGD 18.90 each).  If you are collecting this toyline, be ready to pick up wave 2 once they arrive anytime at the retail stores in the coming weeks.  As of now, re-stocks of wave 1 are still widely available. 

Meanwhile, my fast disappearing and remaining MOC Marvel Universe action figures are now for sale individually in my new toy lockers 12G &12H at Toy Outpost (Plaza Singapura, 7th floor, diagonally opposite cinema box office).  While stocks last!  Just seek the help of the friendly store personnel at Toy Outpost if you need to examine the items up close or purchase them!

Wolverine movie action figures - wave 4 revision (rev) 1

The “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” toys can still be found in our local departmental stores, even though the movie had been over for a long while now (screened in our local cinemas in May 2009). 

Waves 1 & 2 are already on clearance sale at some departmental stores here at SGD 10.00 for any 2 figures, or at SGD 5.00 per figure (policy varies from store to store, & with limited variety to choose from).  As for Wave 3, it did not make it to our shores.  As such, there is no confirmation that wave 4 (below) come here too.

However, there might still be a chance that the later waves of this toyline could become available at our local departmental stores.  If yes, then fans and collectors who are still keen on these figures will be elated to know that Sabretooth (black coat), Cyclops, Iceman, Wolverine (yellow, unmasked) and Colossus are in wave 4 rev 1 (above).  So keep your fingers crossed that you’ll get to grab your favourite Marvel characters at a discount!  Happy toy hunting!