Hey guys! In this world of Toys and Collecting, there is so much new stuff coming out every month that you sometimes feel that you get a lot of the same. It is this sameness that makes us Collectors feel unexcited about new products at times. Here is something that will surely change that!

Toy Biz has recently teamed up with Upper Deck (Ever heard of baseball cards?) to make a new series called “Superhero Showdown” that are exclusive to Toys R Us and your local Comic Book shop.

In 2002 Toy Biz released a new line of collectible action figures called, “Marvel Legends”. These 6 inch figures were an immediate hit with collectors and fans of the Marvel Comics characters everywhere. Beautifully sculpted and super-articulated, they really are the definitive versions of these characters. Today they are on their 10th series and there are no signs of slowing down.

“Super Hero Showdown” includes 4 inch versions of the iconic Marvel Comics characters, such as, The Hulk, Spiderman, Captain America, The Punisher, and many more of your favorites. What makes this line so cool is the amount of detail in these smaller figures. This is where this line really excels. The sculpting on these small figures is AMAZING! There is so much detail on these figures that I don’t even want to collect the larger sized Marvel Legends any more. (Yea right! LoL) But these figures are really impressive.

 

The details on Spiderman’s webbed costume are uncanny and I would have to say that this is the best version of the Thing ever made! (Being a huge Hulk fan, I can’t wait to see how he looks) The Ghost Rider’s flaming skull is made out of translucent plastic and really gives a great flame effect. Dr. Doom might be the weakest of this batch, but he is still an amazing figure! My head would have exploded if the “Secret Wars” line of the 80’s looked like this!

 

Not only are they made well, but you can pose them!! Each figure has 30 points of articulation using ball sockets. Making them even more fun! The Thing’s joints were stiff and he feels heavy. Dr. Doom was a little hard to stand and the plastic feels like it is going to break at times, but they do seem durable. I posed Spiderman in all different kinds of poses and he looks great! Also, there were absolutely NO paint problems with this batch. A problem that has plagued the Marvel Legends figures at times. It is simply amazing that these smaller sized figures are so well made! No overspray on Spiderman! Amazing!

Then, there is yet another aspect to this series. The game! Each character comes with “Power Bases”, Projectiles, Trading Cards, “Battle Tiles” and a set of instructions (starter set only). It’s a challenging game created by David Hewitt (yugioh! heard of it maybe?) and his team over at Upper Deck. There are 4 different difficulty levels so wide ranges of ages can enjoy this game. While playing you are challenged to move, pose and shoot your opponent. Fun stuff!

All in all, these are some well made figures and I am really impressed with Toy Biz for this one. They are on the pricey side, but you are getting some really detailed action figures AND a game, so it’s not so bad. I thought they looked great at Toy Fair, but after holding them in my hands, I see that these are my next addiction! Eternal Collector definitely recommends them to not only Collectors, but if you’re into collectible card games as well, you will like this series. We give it the Eternal Collector “GET IT!” stamp of approval.