Marvel Legends Dead???

[annihilator]

I collected these figures because I've wanted great sculpts and poseability and the satisfaction of displaying them in my workplace and at home in my family room as a souvenir from my old comic book reading days. It really is not an obligation to get every figure available and therefore I am not completist. I only have about 50 and if the sculpt is marginal and articulation mediocre (like AW) I pass on it. The mediocre ones were left on the store pegs and there were lots of them both from ToyBiz and Hasbro. Some were excellent sculpts but not painted too good so I added my own touches. If I spot a good 3 3/4" figure I might get one to go along with Ben Grimm from 2006 Super Hero Showdown. Maybe Norin Radd and Ms Marvel and that's it.

[Jmacq1]

2006, Marvel Super Heroes Showdown 3 3/4" scale. . . . Did not do well at all. That is historical data for everyone to remember or does anyone not look at it any longer . . . . I hope Marvel's gamble pays off this time. But I am not one of those ready to start over. That is my choice.

 

Toy Biz is not Hasbro. Superhero Showdown is not Marvel Universe. Superhero Showdown was released at a time when Toy Biz pretty much knew they were losing the license, and its' production suffered accordingly. They also generally had craptastic quality control, misproportioned sculpts, horrific paint jobs, and fell apart if you blinked at them funny. To say nothing of having a shoehorned in "game" aspect that drove the price up higher than it ought to have been.

 

Just because a line is the same scale doesn't mean its' the same.

[pooda]

2006, Marvel Super Heroes Showdown 3 3/4" scale. . . . Did not do well at all. That is historical data for everyone to remember or does anyone not look at it any longer . . . . I hope Marvel's gamble pays off this time. But I am not one of those ready to start over. That is my choice.

 

Toy Biz is not Hasbro. Superhero Showdown is not Marvel Universe. Superhero Showdown was released at a time when Toy Biz pretty much knew they were losing the license, and its' production suffered accordingly. They also generally had craptastic quality control, misproportioned sculpts, horrific paint jobs, and fell apart if you blinked at them funny. To say nothing of having a shoehorned in "game" aspect that drove the price up higher than it ought to have been.

 

Just because a line is the same scale doesn't mean its' the same.

 

i thought toy biz was owned by marvel? if so, how'd they loose the license?

[EldestSon]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ToyBiz

 

Marvel Toys (formerly Toy Biz) is the toy division of Marvel Entertainment. Originally, the company produced toys with a license from DC, and later acquired an exclusive contract with Marvel. The Marvel line starting with an X-Men specific line and a Marvel Superheroes line.

 

Later, the company would expand to cover the wrestlers of WCW, as well. When Marvel went bankrupt, Toy Biz jumped in and helped them out by merging with the comics company. Toy Biz would handle the action figure front for Marvel, drastically improving upon the original Superhero and X-Men line's rather low quality of sculpting.

 

 

 

Controversy and fate

 

The owners of Toy Biz, Avi Arad and Isaac 'Ike' Perlmutter, believed rightly that their business relied heavily on the success of Marvel. So, during an expensive battle between business financier Ronald O. Perelman and corporate raider Carl Icahn over the rights to Marvel, Arad and Perlmutter seized the opportunity of a lifetime.

 

Perlmutter, a businessman who made his money in discount or "dollar-store" merchandising, and who bought collapsed companies like Remington, found himself owning the near collapsed Toy Biz -- a toymaker with the license to make Marvel Comics character action figures. Arad was an Israeli toy designer of Avi Arad & Associates, who made millions in royalties on his creations. Instead of entering a complicated arrangement, they just went into Marvel together.[1]

 

[edit] The story

 

Toward the end of 1980s, Perelman, coming off his successful takeover of the cosmetics firm Revlon, bought Marvel Entertainment. He issued more comic books and also acquired trading cards and a few other subsidiaries. Wall Street was seemingly supportive; after Perelman took the company public, Marvel's market value topped $3 billion.

 

Perelman than began selling junk bonds with Marvel’s inflated value and Marvel's debt exceeded $600 million. The unfortunate downfall of the comic and trading-card markets left Marvel’s assets wide open to takeover.

 

Icahn, who had invested heavily into Marvel's bonds as one of his standard take-over methods, now went to work to take the company. Perlmutter and Arad, dependent on Marvel’s comic characters, realized that Toy Biz’s fate was at risk. The prospect of losing their interest caused them to become passionate about purchasing Marvel. Perlmutter arranged his own financing group, and ultimately bid over $400 million for Marvel.

 

Icahn and Perelman fought it out, while Arad and Perlmutter managed to beat them both. Later, the rights to names like Spider-Man were being challenged. Toy Biz hired an attorney to review their license agreement. A Los Angeles based patent attorney named Carole E. Handler[2] found a legal loophole in the patent and licensing of the Marvel name and was successful in reclaiming Marvel Enterprises' movie rights to its character "Spider-Man."[3][4][5][6][7]

 

[edit] End of an era

 

Although Toy Biz announced it would no longer produce Marvel's toys, they continued producing TNA action figures and Curious George toys while working on acquiring new licenses. In 2007, the company was renamed 'Marvel Toys', although the Marvel movie franchises and Legends lines went to Hasbro.

[pooda]

well.....that answers my question.

[EldestSon]

well.....that answers my question.

 

I'm guessing that Marvel just decided they'd make more money by letting someone make and distribute the action figures.

[Jmacq1]

well.....that answers my question.

 

I'm guessing that Marvel just decided they'd make more money by letting someone make and distribute the action figures.

 

Precisely. Hasbro pays Marvel for the privilege of letting them make Marvel toys. Marvel doesn't have to spend a dime, but reaps the benefits of cross marketing. They decided they'd rather funnel money into making their own movies rather than making their own toys.

[SP1D3RxV3N0M]

Marvel Legends is NOT dead, stop with these topics!