The financial machinations that surround Marvel's relationship to ToyBiz may be murky (see 'Marvel Q2 Report'), but there is no denying that the quality of the action figures that ToyBiz has produced over the past year has improved dramatically.  The Fellowship of the Ring figures actually look like the characters in the movie, and the new Marvel Legends action figures take the familiar superheroes back to the vibrant colors of their original four-color incarnations. 

 

The paint schemes for the new toys are better, the sculpting is improved and each figure contains a whopping 30 points of articulation.  Each of the Marvel Legends figures comes with a wall-mountable diorama base as well as with a 16-page character-specific comic book -- all things considered, a very reasonable package for a suggested retail price of $6.99.

 

The first assortment, which includes the four figures pictured here, will be shipping in April, not February as previously announced.  The first four Marvel Legends figures are: the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Toad.  The second assortment, which ships in August (not March), will include: the Thing, Prince Namor, Dr. Doom, and the Human Torch. 

 

The Marvel Legends figures will be widely available in the mass market, which, since each figure looks good and has its own accompanying comic book, is probably good for the industry as a whole, including competing retailers.