Classic Marvel Figurine Collection
07.21.07 By Collin DavidIt’s a question that every action figure collector asks themselves :
“I love posable action figures, but they’re for kids! What can I do to make my collection more… classy? You know, besides wearing a monocle while I smash Captain America into The Incredible Hulk?”
While playable action figures usually make up the core of any comic nerd’s collection, our favorite superheroes don’t exist only in plastic. Indeed, we can often find out superheroes in such mediums as polystone, resin, various die-cast metals and most recently, even lead - the deadliest of all elements!
Okay, maybe not the deadliest, because I’m pretty sure that the radiation poisoning of uranium is pretty far up there. And the explosive potential of raw potassium might singe a few hairs. And one gram of polonium killing 50 million people isn’t good news either. But man, lead can mess you up if you eat it. Sweet, delicious lead.
The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection has been around since 2005 in the UK, produced by Eaglemoss Publishing. While toy regulations in the United States don’t really smile upon making characters that are ostensibly geared towards children out of pure lead (or even with the slightest hint of lead paints), they’ve only recently been imported to the US through the machinations of Diamond Comics Distributors. Each lead figurine stands at about 4 inches tall (but are properly scaled for larger and smaller characters), is fully painted, and comes in a solid collectors’ box. Each is also accompanied by an informative magazine, detailing the history of the character. Some of the larger characters, like The Hulk and Juggernaut, actually weigh in at over one pound each - a significant weight for a 5” figure of solid metal.
The small scale keeps these figures relatively simple, and the paint is pretty much average in quality, but that doesn’t stop them from being great display pieces. With over 80 planned or in production, they’ll all make for a formidable display - just make sure it’s on something sturdy, and don’t forget to wash your hands after handling these! They’re made of death!
One concern of comic memorabilia collectors, when seeing a new line of items based on a particular comic universe, is the diversity of characters that will be produced. We don’t want 15 different Wolverine figures (I’m talking to you, Art Asylum) - we want a full array of X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and a whole bunch of popular and obscure villains. Eaglemoss has made some excellent choices in the character array we’re being given, and after about 80 announced and produced figures, the array of characters is staggering and fun.
These are all sculpted in iconic poses, so they’re not dynamic and ready for action - but they are classy. And I define classy by ‘could I kill an intruder into my home with this item?’ The answer is yes, if not through outright bludgeoning, the debilitating effects of lead poisoning would surely get to them eventually. We’ll see how they like hyperactivity, irritability and violent tendencies! That’ll learn ‘em to suffer from things they’re already probably suffering from!
Instead of importing these directly from the UK and paying hefty shipping charges, I patiently away the four or five that arrive in the states each month. So far, numbers 1 through 12, 30 through 41, and The Incredible Hulk and Juggernaut special editions have been released here, with my long-awaited Iron Man being one of the more recent releases. As far as heroes go, they’re some of the classier things you could decorate your shelves with.
Check out my complete gallery of US-released figures in our Community Section, as well as the collections of other Classic Figurine collectors!
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Article Tags: Diamond, figurines, Marvel================
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