I ask this question knowing that this picture is missing a Modern Armor Iron Man, a War Machine, the Silver First Appearance Iron Man and a Hulk Buster Iron Man, which means we have now had eleven Marvel Legend Iron men! To put that figure in perspective we’ve only had five Hulks, three Captain Americas and one Spiderman, but he’s got his own toy lines.

So how many is too many?

In a way, I think it’s becoming an inside joke whenever another Iron Man comes out, and I embrace the day when “Spring Break Iron Man” and “Volleyball Iron Man” come out, but they could get a little smarter about this. For instance, wouldn’t the Onslaught series have been better off with a Crimson Dynamo instead of a Pyro? What about a Mandarin? Mandarin only got a co-starring role in a Face Off pack, is that fair? There are plenty of characters surrounding Iron Man that we could be exploring, like the whole Armor Wars cast, but we have yet to get past War Machine.

So I say long live the Iron Men, but please start exploring characters besides Tony Stark, unless of course there’s a movie version on the way…

Just in case you were wondering, here are all the Iron Men to date:
1. Iron Man
2. Iron Man Gold Variant
3. Iron Man Stealth Blue Variant
4. Silver Centurion Iron Man
5. Modern Armor Iron Man
6. War Machine
7. Hulk Buster Iron Man
8. Thor Buster Iron Man
9. 1st Appearance Iron Man Gold Variant
10. 1st Appearance Iron Man
11. Ultimate Iron Man

We all know X-Men 1, you know, that comic, the one that sold 8 million copies, well this character first appeared in issue 5, the series’ second storyline. Maverick, Wolverine and Sabertooth were a three-man commando squad for a few years. Depending on who’s writing X-Men on any given day, that period can be considered pivotal in Wolverine’s history, but that history seems to keep getting adjusted. At any rate, Maverick is interesting looking, with plenty of armor and guns for the sculptors to play with. He’d be a slam-dunk.

Also, Maverick eventually donned the “Agent Zero” identity, which wouldn’t make a feasible variant since the costume is completely different, but perhaps another MIA? No, too unknown, but Maverick was horribly scarred by the Legacy virus for a period, perhaps that could be an alternate version…

So Hasbro has taken the reigns of Marvel’s toys, including the juggernaut Marvel Legends line, but what’s the result? First there were a lot of rumors that the toys would be of lesser quality. Thankfully, those were all bogus. The toys are to the same high standard we’ve come to expect from the line, but what about the packaging?

Well the packaging was overdue for a refreshing, it did debut in 2002 after all, but that original design was pretty rugged and could fit a comic behind the figures. This new design has made some significant adjustments…

Good changes

1) We now have cooler graphics, including several character-specific images, which will help it on store shelves.

2) Stickers are now under the bubble, so no more scuffing there!

3) Packages stand better on their own, so no more Cyclops face plants!

4) The whole thing is an irregular shape… it’s just cooler.

5) No more twist ties! Our fingertips rejoice!

Bad Changes

1) This is a bubble and card, not the old clamshell, which was as close to body armor as collectors can hope to find. Wait, doesn’t Marvel Legends have a major collector following?

2) Against, the card is exposed cardboard, albeit thick and reinforced around the hook.

3) No more character descriptions on the back, so lesser known characters won’t have much of a shot with kids.

4) No more included comic books!

Now for my suggestions, in case any decision makers out there is reading…

At least fold the bubble around the bottom edge of the toy like you already do on the left side, that would further protect the card. With a small modification, the right side could fold over too a la D.C. Direct.

Bring the comics back! A half-inch taller bubble on the left side and they would fit. It’s great marketing for Marvel and really fleshes the product out compared to competing toys. (I’ll be writing my next blog on this subject actually)

This is going to be a new regular for this blog, but since the blog itself is pretty new, that’s a bit of a redundant thing to say. Anyways, here is where I try to set forth a Marvel character that has not yet been given the Legends treatment, and this biweekly entry is…

First Appearance Ice Man!

The Ice man figure from Series 8 is a very popular toy, though it should have had a variant of him with the containment belt he needed to control his powers for a couple years back in the 80’s, so why not a First App toy? He did look markedly different back then.

First, that Uncanny X-Men #1 cover (pictured above) is second only to Amazing Fantasy #15 in being instantly recognizable, and Ice Man is right in the foreground! Of course, you’ve probably figured out which comic I’m suggesting they include…