My Marvel Collection: X-MEN & X-FORCE!!!
Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 6:32 am
So this topic is something I wanted to do for a very long time. I had got all of this together over a year ago With delays and much more to showcase with in My Vintage Action Figure Topic being still in the mid 80s, it;s going to be a while till I get to the entries of 89 and especially the 90s so with known that I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to post My 1989 ToyBiz collection that will soon be followed by years after. So keep in mind MOST OF EVERYTHING within the topic was over a year in the making This will undoubtedly be one of the most grandest topics of Mine and it will be unquestionably be one of the most visually stunning Marvel showcases ever seen. The majority will be by ToyBiz but with My logo seen above there will many other companies involved as well. Now this will feature VINTAGE 80S & 90s as well as MODERN 2000s action figures plus other items also including unexpected entries This will however not begin with a Marvel presentation, it will begin with a somewhat of a massive, 7-Part prologue because this is how I knew Marvel's very own toy company ToyBiz and how got into comic stuff first so without further adieu here is My...
So it was the great year of 1989.. I was into just about anything back then but thing I wasn't was a big one and that was comics. It's not that I didn't have any mind you cause I did. My Mom got Me My first 2 comics ever which you can see in My Odds & Ends which is arguably My most imperative topic that I have ever created. Whenever Me & My Grandma would wait for Our prescriptions over at Paramount Drugs, she'd get Me some comics I was interested in when I was a youngster till they closed in the early 90s as well as some 7-11 Convenient stores, I have showcased Paramount Drugs and Our old 7-11 in My Odds & Ends, again, it's a very crucial topic of Mine. So if you are a noob or unaware of the great history of the late 80s, Marvel's toy company ToyBiz was making Marvel figures for years but then WB/DC got them to make not only figures from the new 1989 Batman film but also DC Super Heroes Amazing THE SAME ToyBiz that was Marvel and made Marvel figures To this day, I still can't believe that they actually made DC figures. Now I do not consider theme bootlegs and/or knockoffs like many collectors say they are Why It's simple. Most bootlegs do not have a major company backing them much less an official licenses. I have said before in My showcases countless times about the Copyrights & Company Info and I always take pics of'em on the figures and of the cards. Its such a crucial way identify who made what & when. After all the decades I have read & watched action figure reviews I have never seen anybody take the time to do this important thing. I have always LOOKED at the Copyrights on My figures cause at first when I was a youngster and even until My teens cause it's fun to search for it but later on I realized how imperative it really is. I've said it before, look at your figures and look for those Copyrights, believe Me when I say besides taking care of your figures, it's the second best thing you can do for them not to mention yourself
So elsewhere on the board I talked about that wasn't into Kenner's DC Superpowers but when the 1989 Batman classic film came out I was stoked to see it. Me and My Family + My Mom's boyfriend Jasper all went to see it, gosh I remember it like it was yesterday. I absolutely loved it and Batman became a hero of Mine. I was already a big fan of horror and spooky movies so the tone of the film for Me was just right. I loved the musical score by Danny Elfman (I already knew him because he composed the score to Beetlejuice which I loved!), My Grandpa was the same way about the 89 Batman score, from him is how I learned to appreciate film music. So, We all loved the film and it became a fave of My family and of course Mine. I STILL HAVE THE AMC Esquire TICKET which you will see a while later on within this topic So, I found out about the action figures via an ad that I got I believe from the theater (but don't quote Me on that and it's a shame I misplaced that booklet, I really liked that brochure So I had My Grandma get Me all She could find over the course of time with her at places such as Venture, K-mart & Target. Then I found out that there was others that was part of a DC sister series and it was called DC Super Heroes It was clicking then with Me that hey kid, this is your second chance to get figures like them DC figures you regretted about NOT getting at Ben Franklin's prior to this great event. I wanted them and My Grandparents got em' for Me and I am so thankful for that and that I was part of all of this totally fun 89 DC HISTORY
Now, like most in My collection, I do not have all the characters, the figures are worn and not complete. I have misplaced many of the accessories and the vehicles. I do have two duplicate 89 Batman figures as I wanted another one cause I beat him up so bad when I was a kid and thankfully I took care of My second one then So onward to the showcase of My DC Batman 89 & DC Super Heroes by ToyBiz!
Batman 89 v1: I always thought that this was a great version. The mask and the build is just right. Now these figures aren't totally screen accurate as...
The Joker looks more from the DCSP and/or the 1966 TV Show & Movie. I really liked his tall slender build and his squirting orchard This really is a very underrated figure of the Prince of Crimes
NOTE: Kenner would make a totally accurate version of him around a year later or so when they would get back the DC & Batman Licence and it was arguably the best Joker figure ever made IMO
Now on the other hand Robert Hawkens aka Bob/Bob the Goon looks quite good and screen accurate as well. He's bald and his attire is fine looking with the Joker Logo/Insignia. Unfortunately right when I was taking pics of him I lost his Hat which was a long time back when I took this pics originally but one day hopefully I can find it
His kicking action feature/mechanism has malfunctioned over time since he's around 34 years old already So I just rubber-band his legs together and I ignore the visual, I did the same with ToyBiz' WCW Sid since he had the same feature but he's actually about 10 or so years younger than him but when your a kid and played with these guys all the time stuff like that happens Since Bob is a "new" character for the film only, he was a nice bonus character for the ranks that you are about to see in a little while...
Here is Batman 89 (v1), the Joker and Bob the Goon
So here is the first entries of the DC Super Heroes by of all companies ToyBiz which is Batman 89 (v2) & Robin Notice the difference in this Batman as he is nearly mint compared to the one above I really love this "Boy Wonder Robin, I recall it like it was yesterday going to My great local K-Mart that I just showcased in My Vintage Action Figure Topic and seeing these DCSH and especially Robin caught My eye cause I was just watching the 66 TV Show thinking how much I would love to have a Robin figure and then I got him, oh it was so serendipitously fun
Here is Batman 89 v2, Superman and Wonder Woman: They are My first & original JLA in figure form and otherwise Later in a future update of the topic you will see a special comparison of Kenner's DCSP & ToyBiz' DCSH via Superman from BOTH lines This Wonder Woman is quite nice. She's the only female figures of the whole series and you can tell that she is a female. I have unfortunately misplaced her Lasso of Truth but overall she is quite nice and she was one of first if not My first superhero female figures
OK, now here we go with the villains, here is The Joker along with The Riddler, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and Lex Luthor aka the DC Super Villains!. All of these guys are superb looking. The Riddler really has been a fave figure of mine within this series however Mr. Freeze was always the one that looked the coolest with no pun intended there and yes his helmet is removable. Note that The Penguin is a big time inspiration of Kenner's DCSP version and in fact Kenner would keep this mold & sculpt for their Batman Returns series in 1992 which is quite something else when you think about it Thank goodness I kept Luthor's briefcase & Kryptonite Ring with him. I've always loved the look at the Geen Ring Just look at the classic Vintage DCSH Viallin display, oh i looks so darn good
The Batmobile Ah yes, I had to have this baby. It was so great looking in the film and still really is the absolute best one ever IMO (the others in the Batman Quadrilogy are close however). Like the others I believe I got this over at My great local K-Mart. ToyBiz really knocked it out of the park with this. Here is the Shield that protects the car, it's a very thin plastic in one piece, is removable and it's completely screen accurate
So here's what The Batmobile looks like when it isn't shielded. The design is just superb and again looks so screen accurate. The Batman 89 Logo Stickers is a nice bonus touch and their still on there nice & tight after all of these years Batman 89 fits right it with ease and the trunk opens up as well for cool accessories storage
The windshield looks quite decent and is of a sturdy plastic. The Caped Crusdaer has some good breezes flowing in
I have always loved the inside of the car and to turn that steering whee & lifting up the automatic transmission/DSC lever for the firing of the vehicle's feature The sticker is still on there real nice and tight. The meter & gadgets look astonishingly beautiful, look at that coolness
With is trusty Bat-Gun, here is the Dark Knight standing next to his The Batmobile
Here is the underside of The Batmobile. Look at that lovely DC 1989 COPYRIGHT, gosh I love this so much
So that will do it for Part 1, I hope you read how this all began and were surprised here. Keep in mind that this is well over a year in the making and before get to My actual Marvel there will be 6 MORE parts to go here of DC ToyBiz plus more and it's already to go I'm doing them separately so everything can sync in but I'm going to do these fast as I have them all written up so if your gonna be interested be consist and keep track here as you don't want to miss a thing I will have many bonus things your not gonna expect as well When I present Part 7 you will see how this connects to My Marvel collection and that there is indeed a method to My madness, until Part 2 I'll see you around