Reader Review - Hasbro Super Hero Squad Series 1

As soon as Hasbro took over the Marvel license, rumors of crossovers started flying. G.I. Joe Marvel Legends. Transformer BAFs. I don’t think anyone guessed this.

In a way this line makes more sense than continuing Spider-Man and Friends. Galactic Heroes has been selling well for Hasbro for a while now so why not apply that success to the Marvel Universe? Series 1 consists of Magneto & Cyclops, Sabretooth & Wolverine, Colossus & Angel and Captain America & Hawkeye.

Packaging:

The packaging is narrower than Galactic Heroes but the same basic design. The license name is bigger than the Super Hero Squad banner and the character illustrations can be seen from across the store. You won’t need to dig for the right 2 pack.

It’s an easy package to get into but inside the figures are lashed down with clear rubber bands. Why Marvel Legends didn’t need any twisty ties but these did is beyond me.

Character selection and sculpt:

Character selection is strong if not totally consistent. Why are Captain America and Hawkeye in an all X-Men lineup? The Avengers heavy series 2 would have been more appropriate for them. From Phoenix and Nightcrawler, to Rogue and Gambit or Xavier and Juggernaut, there were plenty of heavy X hitters that could have filled out this wave.

Costume choice is all over the place. Sabretooth is in a combination of his original outfit and the Wolverine Fang costume, Wolverine is Astonishing, Cyclops in his Jim Lee phase, Angel’s costume is from the 70’s and Colossus looks like he was in his mid 80’s vest costume before the paint job.

And it looks like there were some last minute changes to the sculpts. Cyclops has odd sculpt lines on his body. Maybe he was originally in his Astonishing costume? Angel also has detail lines the paint job doesn’t follow.

They’re very consistent with Galactic Heroes and could almost be considered the same line. The scale, articulation and oversized hands and feet are all carried over from the Star Wars line.

One note: they have holes in the feet for foot pegs but I don’t know of any plans for bases or playsets. Possibly a holdover from the initial Playskool Galactic Heroes sets (by the way Hasbro, reissue the Millennium Falcon!)

Articulation:

They each sport 3 points of articulation, shoulders and waist. You can get a surprising amount of poses out of them. Angel and Sabretooth have only shoulders and come out the most preposed. Wolverine is the only one that has head articulation (no waist) even though Sabretooth’s and Magneto’s heads are separate pieces. And yes, Cap’s shield is sculpted to his arm.

Paint and plastic quality:

QC is good. This is high quality solid plastic that can hold up to heavy play and the occasional mouth of a small child. I doubt they’d break if you tried. Paint is clean, simple and very bright, adding to the younger look. I like Cap’s eyebrows.

Overall:

My wife and I are expecting our first child this summer and these are already in the nursery. Because the baby wants them. Super Hero Squad is a novelty for the adult collector but the perfect way to brainwash, I mean groom your kids for comics.

Mostly they’re cute. As cute as Minimates which, while more poseable, can be a choking hazard for toddlers. These are much more appropriate for younger children with bright colors, few moving parts and no small accessories. And at $5 per 2 pack, they’re an even better deal.

Hopefully, they’ll keep my kids away from my Marvel Legends for a while.