With McFarlane Toys being the primary producer of DC Comics figures these days, it definitely came as a bit of a shock when it was announced a few months back that McFarlane Toys Marvel figures were on the way as well! Fully revealed this week, McFarlane Marvel pre-posed 1/6 and 1/10 figures are now up for order! Let’s have a peek and see what this new line is all about…
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe has begun to retreat a bit from the public consciousness, we’ve also seen a concurrent distinct reduction in the quantity of new Marvel collectibles lines coming our way. But while the flood of Marvel merch has slowed to a steady stream, there’s still some new series arriving in the land—including this surprising new lineup from Todd McFarlane’s McFarlane Toys!
But don’t fret, Marvel Legends collectors—the Marvel McFarlane figures aren’t competition. In fact, they’re more like “inaction” figures, as they’re all pre-posed to match famous cover scenes and have no articulation at all!
The smaller and cheaper lineup from McFarlane Toys is in the 1:10 scale popularized by Kotobukiya ARTFX+ and Iron Studios BDS statues, and is comprised of four characters: Spider-Man, Wolverine, Deadpool and Iron Man. These are all obvious choices, given their mega-blockbuster movie star status as some of the most iconic superheroes ever.
Spider-Man is based off a cover drawn by Todd McFarlane himself from Spider-Man #6, and probably my favorite of these four figures. Spidey’s athleticism just lends itself so well to static figures like this one.
Unlike the actual comic cover, the Spidey figure here is posed in front of a cardboard New York skyline backdrop with no sign of the Hobgoblin at all. There’s also a little piece of plastic terrain and logo included to add to the three-dimensional feel of the scene.
Deadpool is based off his first appearance on the cover of New Mutants #98. Wade is standing around holding a gun in his slimmer look he had in his earlier days.
The exploding backdrop behind him is a radical departure from the original cover (which didn’t really have any environment depicted on it), but I think this still has a fun and dramatic effect. It’s a bit weird seeing that plastic Deadpool logo that didn’t exist yet here, but I understand its inclusion.
Wolverine joins his aforementioned movie costar, based on his hunched appearance on the cover of X-Men #1. I might have leaned toward a yellow costume myself to coincide with Logan’s summer movie appearance, but there’s no questioning the iconography of X-Men #1.
I think the comic book styled shading really looks nice here, popping on the orange portions of his costume. The dark colors on the backdrop complement Logan well, although the backdrop scene itself is rather bland.
Lastly, we’ve got an extremely comic book-y looking classic Iron Man inspired by Invincible Iron Man #126. The backdrop scene has a very retro comic panel background look to it that feels unique among these figures.
The Iron Man itself features lovely metallic paints, and the black shading deco on the gold is really compelling. I’m not a big fan of older Iron Man comics, but this is a super fun piece.
In addition to the $29.99 1/10th scale figures, McFarlane Toys is also launching a pair of $49.99 1/6th scale figures. They’ve released a good number of these for other franchises like DC and My Hero Academia, so I sort of know the size and quality to expect here. For these, Todd picked a pair of covers to bring to life that he originally drew himself, which adds an extra air of authenticity to these pieces.
First, we’ve got a Captain America based on Amazing Spider-Man #323. Cap is holding his shield aloft nonchalantly in front of a broken brick wall archway. Cap’s bright colors really stand out here, and I think this piece could look extra cool with a complementing Spider-Man (as is on the cover).
But while the other 1/6 figure in this lineup is a Spidey, it’s a totally differently inspired one based on Amazing Spider-Man #301. I wish it had been a Symbiote costume from #300, but Todd opted for the safe choice here instead.
This 1/6 Spidey is actually the first figure to sell out during pre-orders (on the first day, even!) at Amazon and BBTS, but EE still has done available for now. I think the classic look of this makes it destined to be a big hit at retail.
The first wave of McFarlane Toys Marvel figures is now up for pre-order, with an expected arrival date in September 2024 (right around the corner!). What do you think of this bold undertaking, Marvel collectors? Do lower-priced static figures like these interest you, or is this line a definite pass for you?