McFarlane Toys has always been known for its hyper-detailed figures, and it’s still an area in which the company seems to excel. When the company first started up in the mid-’90s, the focus of their efforts was bringing characters from the Spawn universe of comics to plastic life, but as time went on, the company’s boss, Todd McFarlane, pursued his other great love in life: sports. The photos below from Collin David‘s adventures at New York Toy Fair 2012, are the continued results of the pursuit of that love.
Now, whether you’re into action figures or not, these figures are still pretty great looking. For a relatively low price, the regular line of 6-inch figures offers highly detailed miniature statues of some of sports’ biggest and best players. With licenses for the MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA, it’s easier than ever to showcase your favorite players without breaking the bank. Even cooler, there are plastic versions of some of the biggest football stars from their days in college, like Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Troy Polamalu, flowing locks and all. Though, I will admit, they lose some of their bounce when rendered in plastic.
Take a look at the gallery:
As cool as those are, my interest is more piqued for the 4-inch “Playmaker” series. For now it looks like these figures are limited to MLB and NFL, but they offer a pretty full-range of articulation–an important part of action figures that the 6-inch figures lack in mostly every regard. While the 6-inch figures are more like statues, the 4-inch figures are like baseball- or football-themed super-heroes…and with their size matching that of Hasbro’s Marvel Comics line in stature, you can actually have Eli Manning team up with Spider-Man to save the Meadowlands from the machinations of Ben Roethlisberger and Doctor Octopus, which is something I just came up with but totally think is a great idea. I dare you to disagree.
Check out Captain America’s future Avengers…which is probably one of the best teams to play for:
The 6-inch figures are priced at about $15, while the Playmakers are around $8 apiece. I’m definitely looking forward to spotting these on the shelves. I’ve got a Thor figure that’s getting lonely, and would like to toss around the pigskin with that other pious defender of righteousness, Tim Tebow.
