Perhaps the singular Marvel item I was most looking forward to seeing in person at NYCC 2022 was the controversial Hasbro Ghost Rider Engine of Vengeance Haslab project. I haven’t talked about the Hell Charger here yet, but I’m ready to now that I’ve had the chance to see the 2022 Marvel Legends Haslab campaign up close and personal…

To say that this year’s Haslab Marvel Legends Engine of Vengeance project got off to a bumpy start would be an understatement. The initial numbers showed promise, but the campaign flatlined after the Robbie Reyes figure was canceled following the failure of the project to hit the Early Bird goal.

In response, Hasbro started revealing more stretch goal tiers, which they ordinarily wouldn’t. And thus, we came to know of the Marvel Legends Madelyne Pryor (Goblin Queen) figure, in addition to the previously revealed Marvel Legends Mephisto. Both figures made their public debut this week at New York Comic Con 2022 (along with Robbie’s car itself), and I was delighted to be on-hand to take photos of them for this auspicious event.

The Engine of Vengeance project is proudly displayed in a huge, transparent rectangle at the front of the Marvel booth. Despite being half-blind, I was taken aback by the size of the Ghost Rider car and its eye-catching light-up flames that made it very easy to spot from a distance (even for me).

I think the Hell Charger is getting a bit of a bad rap largely because of the way that the campaign has been handled. The $350 MSRP Hasbro set the price at is obviously meant to encompass the car itself and every stretch goal (for a total of $100-$150+ worth of figures), but making fans “unlock” those extras is the same kind of ill-advised tactic that killed the Star Wars Rancor Haslab.

If Hasbro had just shown every included figure stretch goal from day one (and not canceled the Robbie Reyes for not meeting a ridiculous “Early Bird” deadline), I genuinely think this project would have funded easily. But alas, this ill-advised, stubborn tactic on Hasbro’s part seems likely destined to put another project in the grave.

Having worked in marketing for a collectibles company myself, I can understand the value of generating continued hype and buzz by unlocking fresh content weeks into a product launch, but I find Haslab’s way of doing things to often be out-of-touch with what their audience wants and expects. Hopefully for future campaigns they learn from past and present mistakes, as I think Haslab still has great potential to make a lot of dreams come true.

Regardless, I think the Engine of Vengeance car itself is a beautiful model, far bigger than I had pictured and with a lot of presence. The light-up flame add-on pieces look spectacular, and the Ghost Rider figure looks equally impressive. Sold as a standalone $150-$200 set, I think collectors would have opted for this much more willingly than they are for a $350 “bundle” with stretch goal figures that seem less and less likely to be produced.

The Marvel Legends Mephisto figure looks phenomenal, and would easily overtake the old Marvel Select Mephisto as the best action figure of the character ever produced. His evil smile is perfection, and just including him with the car from the start could have made a colossal difference in the trajectory of the campaign.

Marvel Legends Madelyne Pryor I am less enamored with. I suspect the licensor would NEVER have allowed a vintage comics-accurate action figure of Jean Grey’s demonic clone—but without tons of skin and midriff showing, Maddie really does seem off. I’m a big fan of this character and would love to have her any way I can, but I understand why many other collectors are peeved that she can’t be a bit more risqué in a $350 adult collector’s set.

The Marvel Legends Engine of Vengeance HasLab campaign runs until Halloween 2022, and has about 5300 of the 9000 Target backers as of writing. I would love—LOVE—to see this project successfully produced, but the pervading negativity surrounding it at this time definitely has me seriously worried it will not be.

What are your thoughts on this Ghost Rider Haslab, Marvel collectors? Do you see this getting funded? And if not, where lies the problem or problems with this year’s campaign?