** UPDATE 4 Feb 2012**
The title has been changed to accurately reflect the correct copyright year of 2009 as printed on the reverse of the package.
After shopping around for Super Hero figures it's become quite plain that Hasbro has more concurrently running lines than a dog has fleas! Man-oh-man, they just don't seem to end. But then, after going on Wikipedia and trying to make sense of what we now call the Marvel Universe (and the DC Universe as well) I can understand why. A lot has changed since I stopped reading comics. No longer does Super Hero 'A' fight Super Villain 'B', win the match, and do it all over again in next month's comic. Over the years a gazillion plot lines have been formed, many, many characters introduced, and characters killed off! There are mini-series, spin-offs, and sub-plots galore. While blogging McDonald's 'Batman The Brave and The Bold' Happy Meal toys, I discovered that in the few short years the animated series has been running, over 300 characters have appeared on the show! YIKES!! In all fairness, there isn't a single toy company that could possibly keep up with all of this, but Hasbro is sure giving it a run for the money! That being said, I too can't possibly keep up with all the Super Hero toys made - I would need some pretty hefty financial backing to accomplish a task like that. Sooooo, the best way to approach this is the same way one would approach any hobby, just do what I like! If I see a figure that appeals to me then perhaps I'll buy it and blog it.
Today's Hasbro figure is part of the Marvel Universe Series. The Hasbro packaging plays heavily on Marvel's H.A.M.M.E.R organization which replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. after it was dissolved by the President following the Skrull attack. This would imply that Wolverine was a member of H.A.M.M.E.R. But here's the rub. While Wolverine was a member of the X-Men, I could find no indication that the X-Men were a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. or its successor H.A.M.M.E.R. Perhaps I missed the reference a midst all the reading. Here's another odd tidbit: while S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for "Supreme Headquarters International, Espionage and Law-enforcement Division", H.A.M.M.E.R. stands for - Nothing! Nobody has yet to come up with a bunch of nifty sounding words that match the acronym!!! LOL All that creativity behind these characters and they can't figure out what their own acronym stands for! What a hoot! Okay, here's my suggestion (for what it's worth):
Human and Mutant Merger Enforcement Rangers
(sure beats nothing)
The figure measures approx 4" (10.2cm) H, which has become an industry standard for many action figures, and comes with its own display base. He has no separate, detachable accessories, but included in the package is a small envelope labeled 'Top Secret'. In the envelope is a small insert with an addendum to Wolverines 'medical record', and a 'Superhuman Registration Act' card with a great graphic on the reverse. The figure shares the same basic flaw I'm seeing in all of these articulated figures - he has a heck of a time standing up on his own. For those of us raised in the 'Littler Green Army Man' era how well we remember just how easy it was to place a figure on the floor and just play because most of them were molded with integral bases. With this new generation of toys it's not that easy. The AOM LOTR figures appearing here on Toys & Stuff had removable scenic bases that - for the most part - were pretty efficient at keeping the figures in an upright position. Perhaps something like that would be warranted for these newer toys.
To you he may look mean, to me he looks like a grumpy old man on a bad hair day!
Just for fun
