When Dfat boys asked me for a write up of toys coming this summer I didn’t realize just how expansive the article would be, so in an effort to keep things short and not over bearing I have broken it into multiple articles spread out over a few weeks. Here’s part one on Marvel and Funko, enjoy.
Marvel and their Exclusives:
In an effort to keep retailers buying the Marvel Legends product Hasbro has made some changes to their sales model, which on its surface is a little upsetting. Gone are the comic themed waves you know and love and in their place are waves tied to specific tent pole marvel movies. You may have noticed the Spiderman and Captain America themed waves at retail, well that’s what you should expect going forward, because it has been a huge success for Hasbro. 
Also let me add if you have been having trouble finding figures from the above mentioned Spiderman and Cap lines don’t worry more cases with better pack-outs of rare characters like Black Widow and Carnage are on the way. There is only one summer line of regular Marvel Legends and it’s pretty sweet if you’re a hardcore Marvel nerd.
Guardians of the Galaxy:
Coming very, very soon is a wave based mainly on the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. From the core movie Guardians you get Star-Lord, Drax, Gammora, Rocket Raccoon, and a very impressive BAF in Groot. And to throw a bone to the comic fans Hasbro has thrown in an all new NOVA figure and Iron man in his cosmic armor. If you see these guys at retail I wouldn’t hesitate at all, expect Gammora and Rocket to be tough to find. 
Despite the change in plans from Hasbro in regards to their Marvel Legends line, there are still traditional figures finding their way out to fans, via exclusives. This Summer Toys R Us stores will be getting a wave of X-Men themed exclusive legends that includes the long lost Jubilee build a figure. Look for modern Storm, a New Magneto, modern Cyclops, Stryfe, and Unmasked Wolverine later this summer. Look for these legends later this summer at Toys R Us, and toysrus.com where they are already available for preorder. Another exclusive that was just rumored is another lost figure in Agent Venom. Expect Agent Venom to be packed into cases of Spider-Man legends that are shipping exclusively to Walgreens of all places. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come as Hasbro does what they can to get lost Legends figures out there to the masses. 
On a smaller scale Hasbro is continuing their line of Marvel Universe figures and phasing into a rebranded line called Avengers Infinite. On the Marvel universe front the final waves have featured some very awesome larger scale characters like Abomination and Rhino and some fan favorites like Northstar and Aurora. The new line dubbed Avengers infinite features a mix of older popular characters like Iron Man and Captain America with some great new characters like Death’s Head and Grim Reaper.
Both the Marvel Universe and Avengers Infinite figures are nearly impossible to find at retail due to the heavy backlog of older marvel product clogging the pegs. If you want these guys bad enough I would highly recommend skipping the hunt and getting these directly online where they are readily available.
Funko:
Somehow despite all the downturn in collecting as of late there is one company that has done anything but slow down, in fact they have managed to grow beyond anything anyone could imagine. They may be known for bobble heads, but they are so much more. FUNKO has become a force to be reckoned with. Fight it all you want, but they will get you to buy something this summer I promise you that.
On their Pop! Bobble-head front there seems to be no end the licenses that Funko can get. Coming this summer expect full lines from Breaking Bad, Ghostbusters, Disney’s Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Transformers, How to train your Dragon, Pulp Fiction, E.T., True Blood, Supernatural, Firefly, Roger Rabbit, Back to the future, The Universal Monsters, Dragon Ball Z, Buffy, Saw, The Crow, Army of Darkness, Child’s play, It, Sharknado, and House of 1000 corpses! As with all Pop! Expect tons and tons of retailer exclusives, from flocked raccoons to glow in the dark marshmallow men.
But wait let’s say you don’t think bobble heads are cool (That’s fine I hear Vladimir Putin has the same opinion) Funko also has three other styles of toy out there to tickle your fancy. Funko has seemingly made the Kenner 3 and ¾ inch style figures of yesterday cool again with a massive launch of their re-action line featuring TONS of awesome properties. Children of the 80’s brace yourself as Funko unleashes awesome retro style figures from such properties as Alien, Escape from NY, Back to the Future (George McFly!), The Rocketeer, The Terminator, Predator, Pulp Fiction, Nightmare before Christmas, Firefly, The Goonies, Buffy, The Universal Monsters, Freddy, Jason, Ghostface, Sam, Pinhead, The Crow, and Michael Myers
If you’re more the hipster type and you want some urban vinyl, Funko has several blind box mini figure waves to pick from coming this summer. Joining their already popular Disney, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Horror assortments will be The Ninja Turtles (classic 80’s cartoon form), Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy, How to train your dragon, a second series of Disney, Adventure time, and Science Fiction.
If you’re a complete action figure purist and you only want the best for your money Funko now also offers their legacy line. Featuring articulation on par with the Star Wars Black figures, the Legacy figures are hands down some of the best stuff out there today. Coming this summer are two assortments from Game of Thrones, one from Magic the Gathering, a wave of figures from The Fantastic Mr. Fox and a single much needed Rocketeer figure. You might spend a little more than you’re used to, but these figures are totally worth it.
Check back to dfat soon as we take a look at what’s coming soon from Diamond Select and NECA.
~Michael Ridley
