Every now and then, I come across a Legends figure that is purported to have a variant, a variant whose price might even be documented in ToyFare as different from the standard toy, but in reality, there is no variant. Basically, there are two sorts of toys like these:
1) Toys that are adjusted mid-production so later ones look different than earlier ones; and,
2) Variants that are so incredibly subtle and weakly premised that I’m calling B.S. on the line.
Here’s a list of all that come to mind…
Series 1: Hulk with Articulated versus Bendable Fingers
Same figure, different hands. Here’s what happened: first, the Hulk had articulated hands, but Toybiz was new to the industry and the fingers kept breaking off, so they were soon replaced with the bendable fingers. Oddly enough, the articulated fingered versions are worth slightly more, even though they’re inferior. Any notions that Toybiz had its customers best interests in mind are dispelled by the fact that the late Series 2 Hulk with Torn Shirt variant had those defective, articulated fingers.
Series 2: Human Torch with a “4” versus without
The sculptors weren’t properly immersed in Marvel lore when they made the first Human Torch, so they mistakenly included the “4” on his chest. They soon removed the number, though I believe they should have added the classic, black, flame stripes to really fix the figure up. The incorrect, “4” version is rarer than the corrected model, so it’s worth a bit more.
Series 3: Daredevil with Beard versus without
First of all, they have the same UPC, so not even Toybiz is claiming these to be different toys. Also, the beard is barely visible. I actually had a “Variant” on the shelf for months before I realized. In fact, the guy who sold it to me never noticed at all.
Series 4: Punisher with Black Belt versus Grey
The black belt just didn’t look right, the Punisher just looks too much like he’s in a leotard. Toybiz noticed this and upgraded him with a contrasting, grey belt, but of course, the older, inferior one is worth more.
Series 5: Silver Surfer with Howard the Duck versus without
First off, is there any reason for the Silver Surfer to come with Howard the Duck? Of course not, but Toybiz pitched them as friends, which has zero basis from the comics. I have to say a bonus figure, even a nonsensical one, is better than nothing, so the later, duck ones should be worth more, of course, the earlier, inferior one is worth more.
Series 8: Ultimate Captain American with wings versus without, oh and with grey pants
First, it’s a chase figure to begin with, so it’s already rare. Of course it’s only a chase figure because there were production delays and the figures eventually got dumped in Face Off packages. The grey pants miss-paint, which I imagine has to be related to the production delays surround this figure, is supposedly the most valuable, but I’ve never seen one myself. Of course, I think it’s stupid that Ultimate Captain America doesn’t normally have wings on his skullcap, so the variant is simply doing the job right in my book, but the wings are so tiny, they don’t even turn up in pictures.
Legendary Riders: Wolverine with Green Khakis versus Blue Jeans
This is a proper variant, but it’s just such a lame one I have to call foul. When the only difference is the color of the pants and two grey flecks in the hair, that does not justify a new figure.
Apocalypse Series: Purple versus Black X-23s
The purple X-23 looked like garbage, so the black one, which looks a lot more like the prototype model that was pictured in ToyFare a couple months earlier, was soon released as an improvement. What’s remarkable is that the later, superior edition is the more valuable of the two.
Giant Man Series: Yellow versus Orange Sentries
Roll in the beards! The Sentry variant, a.k.a. Jesus, and his clean-shaven regular editions, all came in yellow and orange, making four possible editions. The yellow ones were earlier, and looked putrid, but the change happened later than normal so they’re more common. Toyfare once commented that the orange, bearded figure was never released to the public, which is ridiculous, all four are readily available.
Mojo Series Falcon and MODOK Series Wasp Variant Costumes
I’m calling B.S. here. The only difference between the Falcons is paint, which low-level modders could have accomplished, and besides paint the Wasps only have different hair, though they stretched that across three editions. They just didn’t try hard enough here.
Annihulus Series Ultimate Iron Man with Helmet versus without
First, this toy should have had a proper, gold variant. Some guys were actually repainting toys with metallic paint and replacing them in proper blister packs to resell on eBay, but Hasbro never released an official variant. Hasbro did however sell some with the helmet in place, and others with the helmet alongside. Values spiked and quickly dropped when the market realized how silly this was. There were rumors that the Blob series’ Xorn’s helmet might create a similar situation, but thankfully, nothing came of it.
Blob Series Jean Grey with Dark eyes versus just Plain Crappy Face
Green Quicksilvers and Gold Yellowjackets haven’t been turning up just yet, so we’re left with crummy Jean Grey variants, which are basically just here with shadows under her eyes, making the crummy face look worse. I call foul!
