It’s time for another FF, and by “FF” I mean “Fantastic Four,” which has a new movie hitting theatres RIGHT NOW. It’s also time for Figure Friday.
I think I may be entering my “hack” era, or I entered it a long time ago and nobody noticed it (including me). Yeah, I’m just going to lean back and coast while writing about topical action figure releases. I did it for my last column with Superman and I’m doing it again with Marvel’s First Family!
The Fantastic Four: First Steps by Marvel Legends
Marvel Legends is back at it with some mighty ffff-fine movie tie-in figures, and there’s no denying that they’re one of the most dependable toy lines in the game right now. The sculpts and articulation on their figures are top-notch, especially when you consider that you can walk into your local big-box retailer and grab one of these off the shelf.
This is a pretty robust line right out of the gate, all four of the FF are in wave one, along with the Silver Surfer and a “flame off” version of Johnny Storm. I’m curious if there will be a second wave with some additional characters, alternate looks for the Four, maybe a Fantasti-car, or (fingers crossed) a Galactus. Giant figures like that are a big (pun!) ask these days, but Galactus has been so central to the movie’s marketing, and not having one seems like a missed opportunity. I’m also forced to wonder if they’d do a crowdfunding campaign to bring the character to plastic life in the proper scale…
The Fantastic Four: First Steps by Hot Toys
Unlike my last Superman-focused column, there doesn’t appear to be much in the way of a middle ground for the Fantastic Four—case in point: these Hot Toys sixth-scale figures.
Sculpted using the most arcane dark magic, these figures capture the likeness of their subjects in shocking detail. I know it’s a bit of a running gag in this column, but these things are lifelike to the point where they low-key freak me out a bit. But, toy collecting isn’t a monolith…that’s what makes it so exciting, there’s something for everyone. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have a tiny Pedro Pascal in a glass case in their house?
There’s also a “Jumbo Galactus Sofvi” figure, which gives us our best look at the devourer of worlds outside of the theatre. This figure has limited articulation and doesn’t scale with the other figures (if it did, it would probably be the size of an adult), but it does come with tiny in-scale FF figurines that can be placed around it.
Now, the kicker is that they haven’t made pricing available for any of these figures yet. If I had to venture a guess, the sixth scale figures could run from $200 to $400, but Galactus is, fittingly, a mystery. I just want to know so I can tell BBP! EiC Andy Burns, how much to withdraw from his 401k for the whole set?
Marvel Legends Doctor Doom Helmet with Hood Replica
We couldn’t wrap this column up without a nod to a character who isn’t in this movie despite being the FF’s main antagonist: Dr. Doom. Or is he in the movie? He isn’t. Or is he? I don’t know. It’s Tuesday when I’m writing this.
Marvel Legends shows up with another banger of a replica a full scale Doctor Doom helmet which is pretty dang cool. As an added bonus, you can put this one on your noggin without first superheating it to bond it to your flesh!
