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PRODUCT OVERVIEW: Hasbro GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Collect The Heroes And Villains Of Marvel’s Latest Summer Blockbuster...
Star-Lord. Gamora. Rocket Raccoon. Drax. Groot. Mere months ago these were names known only to hardcore comic book fans, those of us who have been reading a certain Marvel Comics “cosmic” book for years. But with a truly epic marketing campaign and is an incredible final product, people everywhere are getting to know these guys and anticipating their appearance in the Guardians of the Galaxy film that is now in theaters (go see it!)! Helmed by James Gunn and starring great actors like Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, and Karen Gillan as well as voice performances by Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Josh Brolin, and more. Guardians characters have appeared in toy form sporadically in the past, but for the movie Hasbro is making a big push to ensure that kids and collectors alike can collect them all, and you can find most of them in stores right now. Today we’ll run through the various toy lines so you can see which work for you.
Most of the individual toy lines feature the same set of characters, notably the five core Guardians of the Galaxy. Kids are spoiled with several different toy categories for the movie including action figures in different scales, role play items, and more. One of the most unique creations among the Guardians line is a toy we first saw back at New York Toy Fair in February, the gargantuan Big Blastin’ Rocket Raccoon ($39.99)! Eight inches tall (and wider than that), this “little” guy comes in a Try Me package so parents know what they’re getting into... since this figure features lights, sound effects, voice clips, and movement. It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s a popular character from the film, so kids absolutely love this. When you press the buttons on Rocket’s gun and leg he unleashes a barrage of noise in the form of phrases and FX while his cannon spins and the whole figure shakes and bounces around. It really is a fun toy and great for enthusiastic fans of all ages. There’s also a 12” Battle FX Star-Lord figure with lights and sounds.
Speaking of fun, what’s more enjoyable than dressing than dressing up like your favorite characters and using their iconic accessories? Nothing, that’s what. The Guardians of the Galaxy toy line has several role play toys headlined by the Rocket Raccoon Action Mask and Star-Lord Quad Blaster ($19.99). Dressing up as Rocket has never been easier with the mask, and it gets its “Action” descriptor thanks to an innovative trigger mechanism in the mouth; a kid can hit the pad with her chin to activate the opening mouth and moving eyebrows and ears! I do say kid, because while I was able to squeeze the mask onto my big head I wasn’t left with enough room to activate the mechanism. However, the Quad Blaster (comic book fans will call it the Element Gun) is one size fits most and good for kids of all ages. The hefty role play gun has two triggers that pop open the top and bottom sections to reveal the barrels and then shoot four NERF darts! The usual warnings apply (don’t aim for eyes or pets), though I’d caution against shooting a pregnant wife as well. Little Peter Quill fans can also check out the Star-Lord Role Play Set with mask and blaster.
All of those are great for kids, but what about collectors? Well, Hasbro has several action figure lines that bridge the gulf between ages depending on your interest and favorite scales. 5 inch and Titan Hero figures are big and chunky, the former with action features and the latter equipped with their screen-accurate weapons. The most prevalent figure line for Guardians is the “Battle Gear” series of 2 ½ inch heroes and villains. Eschewing the usual 3 ¾ inch scale, Hasbro has instead gone with a smaller, somewhat simpler figure design but one that allows for lots of accessories (in the form of translucent plastic Battle Gear sprues) as well as vehicles! Battle Gear figures come in “two packs” ($5.99) usually featuring two characters, a projectile-launching weapon, and a sprue tree of accessories. Notably there are two packs that contain three figures... where the third is a small Rocket Raccoon. You’ll find heroes (two versions of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket Raccoon), villains (Ronan, Korath), and even generic army builders (Sakaaran Trooper, Nova Corps Officer) in this series, and while it’s aimed at kids I know several collectors who are very excited about these guys.
Beyond the two-packs, the Battle Gear figs have rides with small “Pursuit Spacecraft” (Rocket Raccoon’s Warbird, Nova Corps Starblaster, more on the way - $14.99) and the larger Milano Starship ($24.99). These toys really harken back to the glory days of action figures in the 80s and 90s with included figures, cockpits that can hold them, moving parts, projectile weapons, and more. All of the ships are compatible with the 2.5 inch figures (including their pilots), and you can even customize them with the Battle Gear sprue accessories from any of the sets; there are plenty of universal holes on the ships in which to plug the weapons and other items. Everyone knows that Guardians of the Galaxy takes place in space and it’s great to bring the spaceships back into kids’ hands for zooming around the house.
So what about the true “adult” collector not interested in small figures? Hasbro has also unleashed a unique movie lineup of Legends Infinite Series action figures ($19.99) in the traditional 6 inch scale with tons of articulation, accessories, high quality screen-accurate sculpts, and all the rest of the bells and whistles you want. The character selection appeals to movie fans as well as comic book guys with the film’s Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, and Rocket Raccoon while also including Iron Man and Nova. Best of all? Get the full set and you’ll have additional pieces to form your Build-A-Figure Groot! These figures are already a hot commodity, so don’t hesitate if you find them.
If you’re like this reporter, you’ve already seen the early showing of Guardians of the Galaxy last night (it's awesome!) and own at least a few of Hasbro’s toy offerings. Everything we looked at above (and more) is out now and should be readily available, with the Legends figures currently the hardest to track down. Enjoy the movie this weekend and have fun collecting the unique characters!
Photos and Words by Scott Rubin
Products Courtesy of Hasbro
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