Hasbro Interview

[Roughneck]

Spider-Man 3 doesn’t hit until May 4, but on March 24, you can start acting out your brawls between Spider-Man, Sandman and Venom with Hasbro’s new line of 5-inch action figures. We sat down with David Kunitz, senior design director for Marvel brands at Hasbro, and Steve Redinger, Spider-Man design manager, to get the scoop on the newSpider-Man

TOYFARE: There were a lot of toys made by Toy Biz for Spider-Man 1 & 2. What did you want to do to make this line different?

REDINGER: The first two toy lines did a good job of capturing those movies. On this movie, we wanted to take you further into the action by delivering tactile experiences, interesting movie-like features and an entirely different sculpt style.

The likeness on the Sandman figure is excellent—were computer scans used at all?

REDINGER: Thank you, and yes, computer scans were used as a starting point and then enhanced by our incredible sculptors.

How did the decision come about to produce the Spider-Man Classics assortment, with characters from the previous movies and video-games like Kraven and the Scorpion?

REDINGER: Spider-Man Classics was a great opportunity to expand the Spider-Man universe by taking the best characters from the prior movies and video games and bringing them to life with awesome new deco and treatments.

Why go with a 5-inch scale, rather than a 6-inch scale?

KUNITZ: Our Marvel design team chose the 5-inch scale as a signature scale for the Spider-Man 3 movie. As is the case with most successful movie lines that Hasbro has done, the focus of the early movie product is kids. And extensive studies on action figure scales with young children have shown that kids want either smaller figures with big presence that fit easily in their hands and pockets, or an exaggerated proportions of hands and feet.

Were you concerned about alienating the 6-inch collector market at all?

KUNITZ: Both the collector and kid audiences are important to us. We have products that will appeal to collectors planned for later this year

The Fantastic Four toys will also be 5 inches tall—will 5 inches be the scale for all future movie-based toy lines?

KUNITZ: We’ll evaluate movies on a case-by-case basis. Five inches was selected for the Fantastic Four movie line because not only is the size great for kids, it also provided us with an opportunity to create an awesome new Fantasticar at an affordable price.

Are you looking to establish the 5-inch scale as a new collectible scale?

KUNITZ: We hope collectors will appreciate any awesome interpretation of their favorite characters…

X-Men: The Last Stand gets 6-inch figures in the Marvel Legends line – is there a possibility of seeing Spider-Man 3 toys in that scale through that line in the future?

KUNITZ: It’s certainly an option that could be considered in the future.

The Spider-Man 1 toy line was the last time the movies' secondary characters got action figures, with mixed results. As the cast of the movie expands, is there any desire to make figures of characters that would expand the play pattern, like Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy or Captain Stacy?

REDINGER: Is there a desire to make them? Sure, those are some great characters. However every character is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Will there be another regular comic-based Spider-Man line after the movie line?

REDINGER: Spider-Man is a very important part of the Marvel fantasy to boys of all ages, and it will be an ongoing line after the movie.

*pssssssssssssssssssssssss*

That's the sound of Hasbro pissing on fans

 

[Horrorfan]

LOL Yeah because that one inch REALLY makes a difference

Seriously, do people here never get bored of trying to complain about Hasbro?

 

[Invincible]

*pssssssssssssssssssssssss*

That's the sound of Hasbro pissing on fans

maybe its just me, but everything he said is true.

 

[Roughneck]

LOL Yeah because that one inch REALLY makes a difference

Seriously, do people here never get bored of trying to complain about Hasbro?

One inch makes all kinds of difference....in this scale one inch is the same as one foot......and folks who are 5 feet tall and just plain tiny.

 

[Horrorfan]

I think it's being pedantic personally. I think the figures for SM3 look great.

 

[Roughneck]

They do. A month ago I was the one here defending the hell out of my five inch Venom figure. I just see no sense buying them now because we are likely getting some 6 inch scale SM3 figures.

 

[Invincible]

One inch makes all kinds of difference....in this scale one inch is the same as one foot......and folks who are 5 feet tall and just plain tiny.

lol, good call

 

[Roughneck]

I know.....They are only a couple inches away from needing booster seats in cars.

 

[SpiderHulkThing]

well i doubt they'd ever make MLs go to 6 inches. I don't care what they do as long as they don't screw with the legends too much. but the bright side of them attempting such a feat, would mean that I wouldn't have to buy anymore figures.

 

[Roughneck]

well i doubt they'd ever make MLs go to 6 inches.

Funny since MLs have always been six inches.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

LOL Yeah because that one inch REALLY makes a difference

Seriously, do people here never get bored of trying to complain about Hasbro?

um dude.. 1 inch actually does make a difference.. have you seen these figures? they are smaller then about half of my 90's toys (and there supose to be the same size.....) and they look horrible.. the only one that could be scaled up.. and look fine, is venom. The rest look like cheap ass happy meal toys

 

[Roughneck]

Super Articulated Happy Meal Toys.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

i dunno, kraven rhino and sand man dont look very articulated

 

[Roughneck]

Oh...yeah those ones.

 

[Horrorfan]

um dude.. 1 inch actually does make a difference.. have you seen these figures? they are smaller then about half of my 90's toys (and there supose to be the same size.....) and they look horrible.. the only one that could be scaled up.. and look fine, is venom. The rest look like cheap ass happy meal toys

Ok. You people are just never gonna be happy. Don't buy t hem if you don't like them. Me? I've got my spidey figures ordered. I'm extremely impressed with Hasbro thus far.

 

[Benstamania]

I like 5 inches, saves shelf space. Plus, I'm a Star Wars collector first and foremost, and they are some of the most detailed figures at a tiny size, so it doesn't bother me that Spidey 3 figures are 5 inches.

I also look forward to the FF line.

I stopped collecting toybiz ML's way back around wave four....so "fitting them in" isn't an issue. Plus, most of my ML's are victims of early custom work.

 

[4NutzinYoface]

LoL Roughneck...that IS the sound of Hasbro pissing on the fans for sure!

And yes ONE INCH DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE dammit!!!

CHrist almighty I'm sick and tired of people complaining ABOUT the people who complain ...LoL...wait...yeah that made sense ..I think


Look...we all understand Hasbro wanting to make the smaller figures for the kids and blah blah blah...but there is no escaping that they look ridiculous with the Spider Man 1 and 2 movie toys AND not to mention they seriously do look like cheapass Happy Meal Toys!

Kids want different things in toys....they want small things to fit in their pocket and they also want big toys to bash around and really play with!

The 6 inch figures are a perfect size and it blows that Hasbro is messin' with the scale Toy Biz set for the films!

 

[Roughneck]

The only thing I can say in Hasbro's Defence is that at least they are re relaesing the villains from SM1 and SM2 in the 5 inch scale.

 

[newavengers12]

I saw the 5 inchers and they SUCK big F****** A**. I only want from that hole series the Venom display base. Ill have to get one lousy Spidey fig for that though. I mean.... come on this is F****** Spider-Man... make justice to him, they have to get this right. I hope we do get a 6 inch series or they will really completly SUCK!!!!

 

[newavengers12]

I am really pleased with the legends so far(Hasbro) except Emma..and Ultimate Wolvie... but , come on guys look at series two, they look awesome, and the 3rd series is awesome too. They better keep doing the legends the wright way or else....or else.LOL

 

[spideyboy_1111]

Ok. You people are just never gonna be happy. Don't buy t hem if you don't like them. Me? I've got my spidey figures ordered. I'm extremely impressed with Hasbro thus far.

umm we're not getting them A) Because they look like crap for any one who ever collected real action-figures and B) because were getting in scale, non action featured, and better detailed movie ones.. so why buy both?

 

[Rez]

I really like the new Spiderman line. It's just plain fun, and they make great toys. A large majority of them also look good on the shelf.

It's not like ML were the end all be all.. sure lots of articulation, but the paint was often all over the place and joints ranged from completely stuck to jelly. Besides being way more defined as a toyline(it's clear the line knows what it wants to be, which I'm not so sure the previous Spiderman classics line did), it's also much more consistant- tight joints and decent paintjobs, and definately able to handle abuse.

And seriously, the Kraven kicks ass.

 

[Benstamania]

THANK you for pointing that stuff out about ToyBiz, if we have any more proof that they're not the be all, end all...take a look at the new Hellboy movie based figure they did. I think the pictures around this place somewhere, and if it's real it's one fugly figure. I'll take sculpt over articulation any day.

Are some of the figures Hasbro makes kid friendly? Lord yes, but then again the kids will always out number the collector. Not to mention that those SA Spider-Man figures rock with great paint jobs, something ToyBiz seemed to have a problem with from time to time.

I'm obviously not going to buy every figure from Hasbro, but again, I didn't from ToyBiz either.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

i gotta admit.. im not a fan of the toybiz hellboy figure.. his arm looks VERY bad...

 

[spideyboy_1111]

I really like the new Spiderman line. It's just plain fun, and they make great toys. A large majority of them also look good on the shelf.

It's not like ML were the end all be all.. sure lots of articulation, but the paint was often all over the place and joints ranged from completely stuck to jelly. Besides being way more defined as a toyline(it's clear the line knows what it wants to be, which I'm not so sure the previous Spiderman classics line did), it's also much more consistant- tight joints and decent paintjobs, and definately able to handle abuse.

And seriously, the Kraven kicks ass.

ummm.... ML's are the end all toy line compared to any other marvel figure lines. and theres no argument to that