Hulk: Brawl on sale

The Hulk SHS set Brawl that Shook the World is in Toys R Us's 2-day sale, marked down to $14.99, apparently with free shipping if you use their website. Not a bad deal for 4 figures and the "sonic tank" and those that have held off on buying a repaint set.

If You Like... part 4

As you may have notice, while we love Super Hero Squad here at Rumorbuster, there's a whole world of other merchandise out there that you might (and may already) enjoy and we like to bring that to you. Plus, who knew some of this stuff was out there?

A little backstory: Before Marvel and Hasbro entered into their licensing which has had... let's just say mixed reactions (while it brought us the Super Hero Squad, Mighty Muggs and the upcoming 3.75' line, some people think it was tantamount to a deal with Mephisto... read the comments there) their kid-friendly licensing brand was Spider-Man and Friends. There are books, toys, games (the fairly recent Spider-Man Yahtzee used the Spider-Man and Friends logo I believe, while the recent Operation: Hulk had the Super Hero Squad logo) and the whole shebang. These were one of the pieces of merchandise liscenced out, and I have no idea whether more figures were planned but scrapped, or if the line would have continued if not for the Super Hero Squad figures, but as far as I know, these are the only four [Marvel Universe] characters produced. Given that the concept is a lot like a wooden Mighty Mugg I could almost imagine a custom market for these guys given the uniformity of the bodies (although there are dog, horse and skirted princess forms, amongst others) but tucked away in the deep recesses of the infant entertainment aisle there was no way they could be found by a possibly far more lucrative market: The Adult Collector.

Gamma Lab coming soon to Hasbro Toy Shop?

Hasbro Toy Shop has posted this little ditty for the Gamma Lab

Price: $29.99, Availability: Coming Soon, Ages: 3 & Up, Item #: 78565

Take this store-and-go portable playset along for all of your Super Hero Squad adventures. “Blast” open the Gamma Lab door and catch super villains on the spinning ledge trap! Spider-Man can speed to the scene of a crime on his spider-swinging webline or in his crime-busting spider car! With lots of other movable features, you can create a whole new action scene every time you play. Pack everything up inside and you’re ready for a rescue anytime, anywhere.

Playset comes with vehicle and Spider-Man and Hulk figures.

No idea if this is something similar to how Spider-Man's Sand Pit Standoff sets were showing up in Walmarts with the Toys R Us exclusive sticker on them before eventually being offered in Toys R Us and then eventually on Hasbro Toy Shop or what other crazy situation could be going on, but I bet it makes you feel good that you didn't pay $76.70 for one of the first ones to sneak out. Remember, it IS just the Bank Heist Playset with new colors and yet another Spider-Man and Hulk repaint.

Marvel Financials for Q2

Since a fair number of people are posting about Marvel's earnings we figured what the hay, we'll post a link to them. We might do a more comprehensive break down of the release later, but for now, interesting tidbits include:

- "Licensing Segment net sales increased to $94.9 million in Q2 2008 from $65.6 million in Q2 2007. The increase was driven primarily by the recognition of revenue previously deferred due to earliest-in-store restrictions related to the Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk feature films."

Marvel's Licensing Segment is where they have chosen to record income from the Hasbro deal, and while this is a recent decision, the numbers from previous quarters have been altered to reflect this change in treatment (it's like having a fruit company where you report the money you have tied up in apples and oranges on different lines. If next year you combine apples and oranges in one line, it produces anomalies, like your apple and orange assets sinking to 0, while "fruit" assets skyrocket. You can better represent this to shareholders by explaining in notes that last year's "fruit" was so much, and that it's really a combination of the two previous years categories apples and oranges).

That allows us to see, in part, the increase in overall licensed product sales from 2008 (Iron Man, Hulk) and 2007 (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four), but it's not conclusive.

Another interesting bit?

- "Revenue from Marvel’s film production segment commenced in the second quarter with the release of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. We’re very pleased with the success of these films which have generated $817 million in global box office receipts -- $571 million from Iron Man and $246 million from The Incredible Hulk -- with Iron Man still to open in Japan"

Now, of that, they only acknowledge 29 million give or take on the balance sheet, but that's because their distributors have different revenue recognition (aka, money counting) timelines, so that 29 or so million is just foreign pre-sales. That also means that Q3's figures will likely have revenues from those films and we'll finally be able to see how much of that $817 million (and counting) makes it back to Marvel.

The other interesting thing to note is that World War Hulk was wrong, and Iron Man can beat the Hulk. It would be interesting to know how much of that disparity in box office receipts has to do with (1) the previous Hulk movie and resultant bad press, (2) the tremendous critical acclaim Iron Man received (93% at Rotten Tomatoes, 92% for the top critics) compared to Hulk (68% at Rotten Tomatoes, 58% for the top critics), and (3) the word-of-mouth/viral campaign surrounding Iron Man and the Nick Fury connection. But we'll likely never get that type of information. Oh well.

Hulk Gamma Lab coming soon?

I haven't seen these on eBay yet, but a seller called Pretendtimetoys is selling the Hulk Super Hero Squad Gamma Lab playet on Amazon. The price? $49.95 but with free shipping. They claim to have it in stock and available with one day shipping. The retail price once this hits the regular stores will certainly be less, but for those that just have to have everything, they say there's only 3 left.

SHS Hulk Wave 2 Orders Cancelled?

Well Hasbro is filled with mystery. Since yesterday, the website for Hasbro Toy Shop has been showing this message saying they're down for an upgrade. Now today, some people have received a message saying "Unfortunately, the product(s) you ordered are no longer available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have canceled your outstanding order with HasbroToyShop.com. Confirmation information is below" for the following products:

"ITEM(S) CANCELED
Item number: 78421
Item name: Marvel Super Hero Squad – Hulk and Absorbing Man
Quantity: 1

Item number: 78420
Item name: Marvel Super Hero Squad – King Hulk and Black Bolt
Quantity: 1

Item number: 78423
Item name: Marvel Super Hero Squad – The Thing and She-Hulk
Quantity: 1

Item number: 78422
Item name: Marvel Super Hero Squad – Wolverine and Grey Hulk
Quantity: 1"

We've previously reported on the date of these figures being pushed back here, and here, but we have also previously mentioned how the sets were quickly placed online and were originally scheduled for delivery as early as May 13 way back when.

Edit: Ok, so some users at the Super Hero Squad forum reported receiving their orders, and most importantly, they're back up at Hasbro Toy Shop which is done with it's maintenance. Apparently those with canceled orders just need to re-submit their order.

Coupon Code SPRREQ8 should still work.

Hulk: "The Brawl That Shook the World"

We apparently have a name for the Hulk Super Hero Squad movie set... "The Brawl That Shook the World."

First seen at Marvelous News there's been all kinds of discussion... who's in it, is it a replacement for the Hulk/Abomination 2-pack (that briefly disappeared from pre-order sites and was not seen carded in pictures until it was basically released), should you call it a 4-pack when it's 4 figures and a vehicle, are they all repaints or repacks?

Anyway, it's started showing up in Toys R Us's, with a sticker saying "Only at Toys R Us", and can be purchased at an insane premium on eBay ($25.00 in the stores, $45-$60 on eBay?) As I've already said, I'm trying not to link to scalpers on Ebay, but go and search if you're interested. Keep in mind that the first Toys R Us exclusives, the X-Men and Avengers re-paint sets, ended up on clearance for $3 if that seems too much for you. It will hopefully make you think twice before plunking down $60 for it.

Once I've run to town for mine I'll be able to answer my burning question: Are the Hulkbuster Soldiers different in any way than the one we already have?

Comic-Style Abomination, A First Look at Mystique, and the Gamma Lab Up Close!

First, as a follow-up to an earlier post, I checked out Animation Magazine again to see if I could find any information on a bigger shot of that promotional art they featured. As you'll remember from my post here we saw Ultimate Nick Fury and others, but some of the figures were crossed off.

Sometime after I posted the link (or else it was there and I totally missed it) they posted the full shot. So what do we see? Abomination is NOT the movie Abomination I thought he was! Great news for fans of the comic style figures. The white hand with the gun was Mystique (in what is our first artwork featuring her I might add) and Super-Skrull is also there. The white hand over Cyclops's shoulder was Iceman, and Hulk and Captain America also make full appearances.

But no Spider-Man.

Secondly, Cool Toy Review has this preview of the Gamma Lab Adventure, which is just a repaint of the Bank playset from the Spider-Man line. The paintjob for the apartment/garage section is a bit more Spider-like than the previous red, yellow, grey and white colors, but the maroon and orange Gamma Lab is… daring.

One fun game is to look at the box art for possible upcoming characters. When the Gamma Lab first appeared, the appearance of a comic Green Goblin took some people by surprise, but now that we’ve seen a larger shot, you’ll see comic book 616 Abomination (taking place before his battle with Red Hulk in Hulk 1 for obvious reasons), flying Iron Man, comic Green Goblin, comic Hobgoblin hiding behind Spidey’s apartment window, comic Venom, comic Doctor Octopus (sitting on his arms just like his recent release), fist-punching Thing from the upcoming Hulk wave 2 (where he accompanies She-Hulk), and of course Spider-Man and Hulk.

For those keeping track at home, if you purchased the original Bank Heist set, the later version of the Bank Heist set with the re-cast Spider-Car, the new Gamma Lab, and the Spider-Vehicles, you’ll have a whopping total of 5 vehicles, 4 of which use almost entirely the same mold (the Spider-Vehicle has a spring-loaded action feature, but otherwise the bodies for all 4 are the same) to drive your 20+ Spider-Men into battle on.

I think this is the first post where I talk about both about how many Spider-Men we have, and how conspicuously absent he is from other aspects of the line, so yeah, it gets a "too many Spider-Men" AND A "where's Spider-Man" tag.

Hollywood Reporter on Super Hero Squad, the Cartoon

Hollywood Reporter is the first to bring us actual news about the Super Hero Squad cartoon. (Go on, you can read the link... it's quick.)

Highlights? 26 episodes. No network yet. Film Roman (known for the Simpsons) handling the project.

"It will feature such well-known heroes as Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Fantastic Four and Captain America; all occupy a caricatured Super Hero City and are thrust into humorous adventures as they thwart the villainous plans of Doctor Doom, Magneto, Loki, the Abomination and others."

And also of note:

"Marvel also is developing a multimedia and merchandising campaign for the show, with Hasbro handling the toy line. Marvel Comics is introducing a "Squad" book series in the fall, and a direct-to-video animated feature is in development for 2010."

What kind of book? A direct to video feature coming one year after the TV series? Gah! So many questions, so little information. It's interesting to me at least that the rights to animated Iron Man, Hulk, and Wolverine aren't locked up by the producers of their individual cartoons. It's also interesting that Spider-Man wasn't mentioned despite being the star of the toy line.

Hulk Wave 2

Usually these things have a bit of notice, a coming soon or a pre-order or something, but Hasbro Toy Shop put out Hulk Wave 2 for order sometime over the weekend. With express shipping, you can have these gentlemen, and one fine jade lady, in your house by May 13.

In this wave, we have:

She-Hulk/Thing
Wolverine/Grey Hulk
Hulk/Absorbing Man
Hulk/Black Bolt

The Hulks are re-paints (although, since the Gamma Lab playset isn't out yet, I suppose it's a toss-up for which of that Hulk sculpt is the re-paint), as is Wolverine, but Black Bolt and She-Hulk are oft requested, and Absorbing Man is an always welcome villain.

The downside: I can't find any coupon codes to share with everyone.

Shopping Assist: New Super Hero Squad

A couple quick points to help you on your hunt...

1) A user on Marvelousnews.com's forums is saying that Hulk movie Super Hero Squads have started hitting Targets in Missouri today (we already talked about comic stores earlier today, and Hasbro Toy Shop has had for sale for a while)

2) City In Crisis and Winter Soldier are up for pre-order on Hasbro Toy Shop with August 14, 2008 (8/14/08) as the shipping date.

Happy shopping!

Hulk Super Hero Squad hits Comic Stores

For those going to the comic stores this fine day, you should be able to find Wave 1 (aka, Assortment 200801) of Hulk Super Hero Squad. Assuming your comic stores stock comic-related toys, of course.

Just as a reminder for loyal comic book shop fans: you can often pre-order Super Hero Squad figures from your local store just by giving them the Previews code, and if you don't know the Previews code, ask them and in many cases, they'll happily help you out, although they may want a deposit. Your comic store may charge more than Walmart or Hasbro's online store, but depending on your gas prices and shipping fees, comic stores are still a great (although mostly under-utilized) source of Super Hero Squad figures.

The Super Hero Squad Recall

I first read about "the recall scenario" in a discussion about Hulk Wave 1 products hitting stores before the street date. I thought of posting about it, but when I saw a few forum posts last night claiming there had been a recall I figured I just had to post information (interestingly enough, rather than just locking down the recall thread or explaining how there's not actually a recall, the thread asking about the potential recall was totally deleted from the forum.)

In short:

There is no recall.

The Hulk toys are not supposed to be shelved and sold yet. Some stores (only Walmarts according to the forum posts, but other stores like Meijers have apparently been seen allocating the shelf space) put the new 2-packs on the shelves. So far, everyone that has tried purchasing the figures has reported the same result: "Sale Not Allowed."

To get around this, some individuals are using peg-warmers like the Angel/Colossus 2-pack to scan the price at the self-check-out registers and then just using multiple swipes to make their purchases. Others are trying the squeaky-wheel technique (complaining up the chain of command until the purchase is allowed.) but the problem is that the Sale Not Allowed defense is a great counter-argument. We CAN'T sell it. We're not allowed.

I haven't seen the boxes myself, but some posts on trader forums indicate that the boxes clearly mark a 5/1 street date, but even if the boxes don't say that, we can see that Hasbro's Toy Shop doesn't have the wave being shipped until 5/14 (and from past experience with the Iron Man 4-packs, and the current Spider-Woman wave of 2-packs, their shipping date tends to be a few weeks after official release.) It's also telling that the figures are still listed for sale on Hasbro's website, where they could easily take the listings down in the event of a recall. And the fact that only Hulk Wave 1 toys that are not actually available for sale yet are the only Super Hero Squad toys affected by the recall, leaving the earlier Super Hero Squad waves and even the current wave, un-affected should also send a message.

The biggest indication that there's not a recall (of a toy that has not been released yet): It's not listed on any of the recall sites. Recalls.gov, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Hasbro's own recall site are going to be the first places you'll see a recall announced.

In sum: No recall, just over-eager stockboys and merchandisers.

New York revelations

So NYCC has hit, and so have photos.

Marvelousnews is the big source of photos.

If you flip through you'll see shots of Golden FA Iron Man (uh, it's not First Appearance if it's not a first appearance... but why am I calling it that? Cause others are doing it and I want to be cool), Ultimate Iron Man repainted in War Machine colors, Crimson Dynamo (doesn't look like a repaint to me... maybe it's a little more metallic?), Silver Centurion armor repainted in yellow, the Hulk wave Hulkbuster IM (again... doesn't look repainted to me but maybe?), Tony Stark repainted in brown/gold, War Machine repainted in Iron Man colors, Iron Spidey (again, repaint or not?).

And still going we've got Spider-Man hanging from a lamp-post (back to original sculpts!), a repainted Sandman II (from the Venom set), Crossbones, Falcon, background shots of the recently released Deadpool and Spider-Woman wave, better shots of Red Skull, Sentry (who looks better than I expected after the photo I saw yesterday), Electro and those Spidey re-paints, a less-metalic Thor and Ares (is this a sign of a running change or of an early repaint set?), blurry Green Goblin.

Then some shots of the Hulk toys including the Hulk box set (boxed Abomination's colors are swapped with 2-pack Abomination, and it does look like the box-set will have 2 soldiers, Hulk, Abomination and a larger-than-I-expected Hulkbuster vehicle.

But poke around the photos and see if you find any easter eggs.

Hulk Wave 1

As some of you know, there's a lot of talk about what's going on with the Hulk Wave 1 figures.

When it was first shown, as a low-res scan of 8 figures, a lot of sites began passing around

Hulk & Abomination
Planet Hulk & Silver Savage
World War Hulk & Iron Man
Hulk & TBA

as the list (which as of 4/17/08 is still how it's presented on Cool Toy Review. Then when Toyfair came and went, and we saw the hi-res promo pictures of everyone but Abomination, a few of us collectors started wondering why Abomination wasn't shown. Then last month we saw the carded two-packs which showed everyone from Toyfair, but without the Abomination.

But Cmdstore still listed 4 2-packs, even though they didn't have photos of Abomination. Roughly around this time, Entertainment Earth listed Hulk wave 1 as having 3 2-packs... but no Abomination. Hasbro only offered those 3 for pre-order.

Now, to further complicate matters, Big Bad Toy Store is showing those same 3 2-packs, and one undisclosed 2-pack.

What's even worse: Ebay is being flooded with Abomination and Hulk 2-packs from California.

So long story short, looks like Hulk and Abomination ARE being released, and it looks like they're out now, assuming you live in California, and that there is a full 4 2-packs out.

For the variant hunters, don't worry, this Hulk has blue pants, unlike his multi-pack version. We'll have to wait until we get bigger and better pictures of the Abomination before we can see if he's a variant or not.

Damn that's a lot of links.