Bearako's Corner: NEWS: SDCC 2014 Marvel Infinite Series Preview

photo courtesy of Marvelousnews.com

I know this is very much a late post, however here's my reaction on the MIS 2015's upcoming line up!

As the SDCC started, all geeks alike stayed glued to every social media channel possible to watch out for updates. As for me, I was looking forward to Hasbro's 4-inch Marvel previews. As it unfolded, it introduced 2015's wave 1 which are:

- Beast (Jim Lee) with Grey version variant
Glad to see this version of Beast to fit the classic 90's look. And there wouldn't be a need now to look for that evasive and atrociously priced Showdown Beast. It has a great face sculpt compared to the animal faced SHS. It is also announced that it will have a grey coloured variant same with the Showdown version. However, one thing we need to know from here is that the articulation has been cut back. And from the pics, we see this. It's a bummer since we know how agile and complex Beast can be.
Will I get it?: Yes. Definitely I'm going for the blue version to add to my X-men shelf. Despite having a lacklustre arcticulation it's the definitive version of Beast the we all grew up to love. However one thing bothers me, his body silhouette reminds me of a bar of soap.. :|

- Sandman with Sand variant
Another long overdue character since the Absorbing Man mold has been out for a long time. Been seeing customizers utilizing the same body mold for their Sandman and no doubt it's the prefect body for him. Hasbro is also set to release an 'all-sanded up' Sandman version which I think is quite cool.
Will I get it?: Again yes. It's a great addition to one's Spidey villain collection. I'm glad that Hasbro has picked up the pace on that department. Although I'm most likely to get the regular version and just edit him up in Photoshop whenever I need him to be in his sand version.

-Black Cat
It's great to have Black Cat included in this line. I knew that it was just a matter of time before she comes out. However upon seeing the pics, I'm downright disappointed. Seeing the articulation and that face sculpt made me sick! Coming from the previous lady molds that they have been using then this? And what's with that face? I envy the Legends version, aren't there anyway to shrink that version since 3d printers are quite a thing now? She's suppose to be sly, sexy and seductive. This one just looks meh.
Will I get it?: Despite my rants I'm sad to say it's a yes. The only reason I'm getting this is because it's a new character and that's it. Might just place it behind the display. Hasbro just missed on a very potential figure.

-Big Time Spidey
The Legends line already had this figure, and to have it in this line isn't too surprising since we haven't gotten any Spider-man figure lately. And as we all know, it's mandatory for Hasbro to stick Iron Mans, Capt. Americas, Wolverines and Spideys in our throat once in awhile. It uses a crappy body mold and the paint app isn't helping either
Will I get it?: This one is a no brainer, it's a big NO. Why you ask? It's crappy plain as that.

-Bishop
Another great addition in terms of character selection. Was planning to do a custom on this for quite some time now, but upon knowing this I might just wait for it. Donning his nostalgic 90's look is definitely a plus for me. Looking on the given pics, he does look promising in terms of sculpt. However, I dont' know if it's just me me, but the paint looks flat for my taste. And as same as the others he also suffers from an articulation cut back.
Will I get it?: Yep. New character and an X-men is a winning combination for me.

Winner for me in this wave: Despite all the drawback I'd still go with Beast on this.

Figures from wave 2 were announced as well, the following day:

Pics aren't that clear for me to comment on, since some are still on their prototype render stage. However here's my 2 cents for each.

-Armored Daredevil
Growing up as a kid, I'd love this version of Daredevil. If this is the black version DD with armor, then I'm lining up for this.
Will I get it?: Remains to be seen.

-Vulture
Another Spidey villain this time it's the old man Vulture! Like Sandman, been seeing alot of great customs of this figure for quite awhile now. Parts are already available all they had to do is kit bash and repaint.
Will I get it?: Definitely yes.

-Shanna
Here's another new character for the line, going deep down the jungle. Not so much familiar with the character except that one time I saw her in the old X-men series. Does this mean were getting a Ka-Zar soon?
Will I get it?: New character equals a yes.

-North Star
Finally! This one is suppose to be a variant of Aurora which went missing during the final wave. What a sigh of relief to know that this wasn't cancelled or else Aurora would be on a 'solo flight' *badummttss*
Will I get it?: Of course!

-Thunderstrike
Now this is the Eric Masterson version that I wanted and not the one that's been previously released. All I can say is, it's time to play the game!!!
Will I get it?: Yup!

-Doc Ock
It's one of the characters that's been needed badly by collectors for quite a time now. There hasn't been any decent 4 inch Doc Ock coming from Hasbro so it's only right that he gets a spot in the MIS roster. Though I'm really hoping this would turn out great cause up until now the definitive version of Doc Ock in the 4 inch line is the Showdown version which I do love!
Will I get it?: Depends, the Showdown version is a hard one to top.

-Juggernaut-Colossus
Comes from the cancelled boxset that includes Cyke (released already), and Emma Frost. A straight up repaint of Juggernaut however I do know that MUllectors will welcome him with open arms since he's a popular character from the AvX arc.
Will I get it?: Yes. Probably just cause I need more in my X-men shelf.

Overall, I do like the selection of characters that they chose. I'm really glad that they're releasing Northstar, as its release status became unknown after some of MU's last reissues. Also, I'm digging the addition of more Spidey villains in Vulture, the long overdue Sandman, and Doc Ock. Additional X-men are also very much welcomed since we badly need more mutants in our collection, though I was hoping for a more X-men-'ish' 2015 lineup as they stated back then.

However, am I satisfied? Not much. I'm leaning more on the disappointed side. The line had a great potential to be awesome. Lineups are great however the production of these figures is what made MUllectors think twice. Based on the given pictures, articulation was definitely cut short which is a bummer. After seeing this line progress in terms of sculpt, details and articulation we then get these. If these were a movie-line I'd be able to forgive them, but no! This is the main line!!! Why not just use the old body molds instead? Since those have more decent articulation than these. Well except for the ankle rockers, which they retained for some of the figures. And with the higher SRP this would be a more bitter pill to swallow. Would I still support the line? Yes, as I am still very much hopeful and I pray that this is just a phase. I'm just glad it's not dead.

Also on the side, Hasbro held a poll on Twitter to which character would their fans would want to see for 2016. If I have voted, I would have went with 'articulation.'

Twitter winner for 2016
-Modern Gamora
-Capt. Marvel (Carol Danvers)