Marvel Select

Marvel Select is a line of action figures based on superheroes and supervillains from the Marvel Universe that has been designed and released by Diamond Select Toys since 2002. Marvel Select figures are available only from comic shops, as well as specialty retailers like the Disney Store.

History

The line was originally designed, sold and marketed by Diamond Select Toys, with development and production by Marvel Comics' toy division, Toy Biz, but now that Toy Biz is defunct, all design is done in-house at Diamond Select. The figures were originally based mainly on the Ultimate Marvel and Marvel Knights characters, while the mass-market toy lines dealt with the main-universe characters. However, this practice was soon phased out, allowing all the lines to expand, and today the Marvel Select line covers both the core titles as well as most of the Marvel movies. In the early days of the line, figures focused on sculpting over articulation, but they also tended to include large, diorama-sized bases and accessories (sometimes even a second figure) that necessitated large display packaging, distinctively decorated with comic artwork of each character. These pack-ins helped differentiate Marvel Select from similarly scaled toy lines, but as Marvel Select began to tackle more and more large-scale characters, like the Hulk^[1], its appeal with 6-inch scale figure collectors grew, as well.

Scale

Unlike other toy lines, where figure sizes can often be inconsistent, Marvel Select figures are sculpted in a strict 7" scale. In that scale, the larger characters of the Marvel Universe can stand as tall as 9 or 10 inches, and while they would need special treatment in any other toy line, in Marvel Select they simply fill up the line's already ample packaging, which was originally designed to allow plenty of space for bases and accessories. However, since the size of characters in the Marvel Universe can often vary according to the artist, those larger figures can also appear to be in scale with 6-inch scale figures and even 3 3/4-inch scale figures, on occasion, making the line popular with collectors of multiple toy lines. As the line has continued, DST has used the "Select" label for other brands, to indicate that a line is in the 7-inch scale and comes with an elaborate base or accessory.

Fan Polls

In 2004, She-Hulk was chosen in a fan poll run by ToyFare magazine, allowing respondents to pick which of five characters (also including Sandman, Thanos, "DoFP" Wolverine and New X-Men Beast) would be produced as an exclusive for the 2005 summer conventions. Since then, two of the other candidates (Thanos and Wolverine) have been released.

Released figures

1. Ultimate Spider-Man with a burglar webbed to a wall base
2. Punisher with smashed pinball machine, arsenal of weapons and thug victim figure
3. Elektra with castle tower display base, ninja arsenal and additional hand and leg attachments
4. Ultimate Captain America with flag, shield and WWII battlefield base
5. Black Widow II with cave wall base, pistol and storage drums
6. Origin Wolverine with forest display and wolves
7. Black Cat with apartment wall base, safe, jewels and Spider-Man
8. Ultimate Iron Man with removable forearm armor and recharging station
9. Ultimate Hulk with printed scenic city base
10. Ultimate Venom (classic Venom variant) with an unmasked Spider-Man webbed to the wall base and symbiote jar
11. Ultimate Wolverine with injured Magneto
12. Green Goblin with goblin glider, pumpkin bomb and kidnapped tied-up Spider-Man
13. Ultimate Thor with Mjöllnir and defeated Giant-Man base
14. Dr. Doom with goblet, pistol, a variant hand, and a detailed throne with banners
15. Dr. Octopus with Spider-Man
16. "Here Comes Tomorrow" Phoenix (fiery transparent Phoenix variant) with flame base
17. Emma Frost (Diamond transparent Emma variant) with detailed fireplace and mantle display base
18. Black Costume Spider-Man with rooftop gargoyle ledge
19. She-Hulk with crushed car (ToyFare exclusive)
20. Ultimate Carnage with Gwen Stacy corpse
21. Thanos with alternate Infinity Gauntlet hand and Death (with separate face-mask)
22. "Days of the Future Past" Wolverine with Katherine Pride and wanted poster ruins base
23. Uatu the Watcher with moon stand
24. Spider-Woman I (first Appearance variant with short hair,Spider-Woman II secret wars SDCC exclusive and Spider-Woman II modern costume variant) with Hydra Agents and Hydra mansion base
25. Moon Knight with Khonshu Statue
26. Cloak & Dagger with light knives
27. Iron Spider with rooftop gargoyle ledge (ToyFare exclusive repaint of the Black Costume Spider-Man)
28. Mephisto with throne
29. Ghost Rider with fiery highway base
30. Alien Legends - Skrull and Brood 2-pack
31. Zombie Spider-Man with detachable leg and Silver Surfer pieces base
32. Zombie Captain America with removable skull, shield and Silver Surfer pieces base
33. Zombie Hulk with Silver Surfer pieces base -
34. Skrull Elektra and "Alien Legends" Skrull repaints (SDCC exclusive)
35. Modern Costume Thor with Mjölnir and Asgard base
36. Incredible Hulk with rubble-strewn base
37. Extremis Armor Iron Man (stealth armor variant and Captain America armor BigBadToyStore exclusive variant) with blast off base
38. New Captain America (unmasked variant) with canister, sword in hostler, and gargoyle ledge
39. Red Hulk with rubble-strewn base (BigBadToyStore exclusive)
40. Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell variant and Genis-Vell variant with Kree navy uniform) with crashed Skrull ship base
41. Anti-Venom with symbiote base
42. Wolverine (first appearance variant and uncanny costume variant) with Weapon X base
43. Marvel Girl (Rachel Summers variant) with half of the Xaiver mansion gate
44. X-Men Origins: Wolverine with dumpster
45. Sabretooth (first appearance variant) with damaged Weapon X facility base
46. Daredevil (unmasked variant) with cathedral roof top
47. Spider-Man with destroyed car base
48. Iron Man 2: Iron Man Mark VI (Ironman Man Mark IV Borders variant) with armor assembly station base
49. Iron Man 2: War Machine with armor assembly station base
50. The Thing with printed group scene Fantastic Four base
51. Abomination with destroyed ground base
52. Cyclops (X-Factor variant) with interchangeable mask-less head and danger room base
53. Deadpool (unmasked variant) back alley base
54. Magneto with destroyed Xavior mansion base
55. Juggernaut (unmasked variant) with rubble base
56. Thor (film): Loki with bifröst gate base
57. Thor (film): Thor with bifröst gate base
58. Gambit (long-haired variant) with danger room base
59. Captain America: The First Avenger: Captain America with machine base
60. Captain America: The First Avenger: Red Skull with machine base
61. Hawkeye (Disney Store exclusive) with slain Ultron base
62. Thor (Disney Store exclusive) with rock base
63. Captain America - Disney Store exclusive with platform base
64. Black Widow Disney Store exclusive with Antman and severed Ultron limbs base
65. Colossus with danger room base

Announced Figures

• Green Goblin with glider base.

Best of Marvel Select

DST occasionally offers "Best Of Marvel Select" assortments, allowing retailers to re-order popular, sold-out figures. Best of Marvel Select #1 included Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Hulk, Green Goblin and Thanos. "Best Of Marvel Select #2 included Ultimate Venom, Phoenix (plus fiery transparent variant) and Emma Frost (plus diamond transparent variant). Best Of Marvel Select #3 included Ultimate Hulk, Punisher, Skrull Three-Pack, Ultimate Iron Man and Spider-Woman II (modern costume variant). Best Of Marvel Select #4 included Thanos, Dr. Doom and Black Cat. Best Of Marvel Select #5 included Hulk, Red Hulk and Ultimate Hulk.

External links

• Marvelous News Database - Marvel Select Checklist
• DiamondSelectToys.com - official DST site
• ArtAsylum.com - official DST blog
• Facebook - Diamond Select's official Facebook page
• @CollectDST - Diamond Select's official Twitter account

References

1. ^ "Superheroes Base Review: Marvel Select Hulk"