From The ComicBookBin.com

Collectors
Toy Hunting pays off !!!
By Big Bear
Nov 22, 2006 - 10:14:58 AM

Today I walked into Wal-Mart just to see if they received anything new. To my surprise not only did I get a few new figures on layaway, but I also received a bonus treat as well.

My favorite of the three local Wal-Marts in my area received a case of the 3rd wave of X-Men figures. I was able to get the Nightcrawler, Sabretooth, Rogue, and Avalanche before anyone else got their hands on them. Rogue and Avalanche are short-packed, so there were only one of each. Since I wanted to check out the villain right away, I took Avalanche home while putting the other three figures on layaway.

The other two figures in the set are the up-dated Colossus and Ice-Man figures. If you did not get the Ice-Man from Marvel Legends, or if you just want to get his patented ice-slide, then Ice-Man is a good catch. Otherwise than that, I feel this version is inferior. Yes, his chest sculpt is tighter because of the lack of the crazy cut in his breast plate area, yet the detailing is inferior to the ML-8 version. This is shown especially in the face, which looks like an extra coat of paint applied to the original mold.

The new version of Colossus is called the Super Strength Colossus, which is basically a slightly smaller version of the ML-5 original. The body is great. The costume is only a slight bit different. The big difference is in the facial sculpt. Like the Ice-Man figure, it is a new face design, but it sorely lacks the detail of the original. The Colossus figure of Marvel Legends series 5 was so good, that even the guys at Toyfare thought that he was the best sculpted of the regular (non-Build-A-Figure) characters of the set. For those who missed on series 5, this is a must, however, for guys like me, you can keep the new Colossus. By the way, he comes with a bendable steel girder, or "I"-beam like the Savage Hulk used to show off his immense strength.

The new Rogue is a welcome addition. She is marketed as X-Treme Rogue, from the X-treme days of the X-Men when many were given new costumes. Rogue is now in red and white and some protective eye goggles. This is a nice addition for those who were waiting for a better version of everyone's favorite southern belle mutant since the standard green and yellow costumed exclusive from the X-Men Legends box set.

Nightcrawler has a whole new sculpt and is nothing like the Sentinel Series version. The new version seems like a mix of the Ultimates Universe meets the Belasco/ Shadowcat & Illyanna min-series renditions of Nightcrawler. This one is a deeper hue of blue and has a button for light-up eyes and mouth. He looks like he stepped offf the set of the Pirates of Penzance or The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. He comes with a regular sword and a double-bladed sword as if he took lessons at the feet of Darth Maul. In short, he is a cool character. Get him now!!!

Victor Creed first terrorized us in Marvel Legends series # 5. He is scheduled to return as toy for at least two more appointments before Toy Biz hands over the reigns of the Marvel Legends heading to Hasbro, and this release is one of those two. He he appears as Ultimate Sabretooth and happily he looks better than advertised. Sometimes the box art/ concept or prototype is better looking than the actual product (have you seen the Scarlet Witch???), but this time, the facial expression on Sabretooth is better than show on the card. This makes him look more menacing than comical. (The box gives him a grin like the Joker). Sabretooth also comes with two sets of hands. That was a good idea as I could care less about a 4-clawed adamantium laced Sabretooth. However, this gives you the option of the new Ultimate hands or the standard fingernail-claws. As for me, I am going with the latter. His body sculpt is tight but not too big. He reminds me of the comic book version from the Ultimate X-Men series, meets Akuma.

The other true prize of the set is the one figure I took straight home instead of putting him on layaway. Avalanche gets another shot as an action figure by Toy Biz, and this time he is in the Marvel Legends size. Avalanche looks like a rage induced psycho, just the kind of guy you would expect associating with Magneto and Mystique. His face sculpt is excellent. You can see the rage building in his eyes. His mouth is wide open as if he is screaming after catching his girlfriend caught in a tryst with another man. He looks that mad, and that gives him an edge as the best face sculpted figure of the set. Bodily, his design is second only to Colossus. He look is modernized. It is more body armor than a costume. The only blotches in paint are on his shoulders. he has a bullet shaped helmet. His chest plate looks like it borrowed the "uni-beam" from Iron-Man and attached to that are flexible shoulder protectors. He looks good enough to start his own Brotherhood of Mutants team.

He even comes with a boulder which he attaches his feet to. This boulder also serves as his action feature. The boulder has a knob that you turn until the boulder shakes and slides across the flor

We first met Avalanche as the unfortunate challenger of the Incredible Hulk. He was later brought back as member of the Brotherhood of (Evil) Mutants and Freedom Force. His powers are based his ability to generate waves of vibratory force that can shake things that are non-organic until they fall or breakdown.

NOW FOR THE BONUS TREAT: Normally the action figures from Toy Biz have been selling for $7.83 each, but this particular store has dropped the prices on the Marvel Comics toys and I only had to pay $6.64 each instead. When you save over a dollar and 20 cents on a figure, that can add up to another figure quickly, especially if you are into the Build-A-Figure concepts.

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