So all of the talk and comparisons between the 3 major 3 3/4" super hero lines that there have been, made me curious to see actual numbers, based on which series people prefer.

I lumped the Marvel Universe figures and X-Men Origins: Wolverine figures together since they are both Hasbro, and essentially extensions of the same line.


Here are my opinions, looking at strengths and weaknesses between the lines:

Hasbro MU / XO:W
Great sculpting, good paint apps, good articulation, good character choices.
While I really wish that all of the figures had the MU ball hip, and the XO:W thigh swivel, both designs are good enough seperately between the lines. Aside from the hideous Punisher figure, I have yet to get, or see, a figure in this line that I don't like, or at the very least find acceptable.
I know some don't like the Silver Surfer / Human Torch body, but I think it looks great for those two characters. I have always pictured Silver Surfer looking similar to the T-1000 from Terminator 2, and the sleek body mold looks far better than the SHS / MLS Silver Surfer body. All of the extra articulation joints really fouled up the sleekness of the SHS / MLS mold and made it seem rather "clunky" looking. Again I think the mold greatly compliments the clear Torch too. Like with Silver Surfer, there aren't too many articulation lines breaking up the esthetics of the design, yet it is still a really well articulated figure. All of that being said, I don't care for the mold, as much, for the "human" Johnny Storm figure, but I still wouldn't say it's "bad".

Overall the Hasbro Marvel lines got my vote.


Mattel DCUIH
Decent sculpting, but sometimes looks rather "cartoony", decent articulation, but falls a little short in some areas, decent paint apps, but again the simplistic paint apps add to the cartoony look, some interesting character choices.
One of the main issues I have with this line, is it feels like getting less of a figure, compared to Hasbro's lines, but for a similar price. Articulation isn't everything to me, but there are some points of articulation that, nowadays, should never be left off of a super hero figure. Such as some form of a bicep swivel, or a ball jointed elbow.
The good news is, that Mattel is suppose to be fixing this lack of movement in future waves. Whether this changes the price point, and whether the current characters will get upgrades, are a couple of determining factors on how much I continue to persue this line.
While the increased articulation is a good thing, I feel that they also need to improve the sculpting. Again there aren't really any figures that I would say are "bad", but the proportions and sculpt on many of them are borderline. My Joker's massive hands are like the same size as his major pin-head, Batman's biceps are the same diameter as his thighs, his shins are the same length as his thighs, and many figures seem to lack detail, such as simple sculpt lines to differentiate their boots / gloves from their tights.
While the character choices are quite interesting, and it's nice for fans to get some less popular characters, it is also causing a bit of a peg warming situation, here, where all of the lesser known characters are staying on the racks, making it harder to find the newer waves, and the more popular characters that are in them.

Overall, if they would improve the proportions on the figures, along with the added articulation, they could be second on my list. For now with the way the figures currently are, they are third.


Toy Biz SHS / MLS
Even though this line is finished, it was still a retail 3 3/4" super hero line, and many people still like the figures today. Even with the other options now available.
I liked this line when it came out. Granted at the time it was the only option for 3 3/4" super hero figures, but I thought (and still do think) they did a really nice job on many of the figures.
Great sculpting, with some exceptions, great paint apps, great articulation, good character choice.
One of the issues with these figures was their construction quality. Some were packaged with limbs at a funky angle (a problem not exclusive to this line) but this would sometimes lead to broken limbs. There was also the issue with some deformed socket joints, that would fall off of the ball joint far too easily.
Another issue, was the horrid sculpts on a few figures. Namely the Punisher and especially Captain America. When they nailed a character's likeness they really nailed it (Thing, Green Goblin, Colossus, Juggernaut, etc), but when they botched it, boy did they botch it!
The series did improve in the later waves, with both sculpts and quality, but by that time, it was already doomed.

Overall if Toy Biz could've used their articulation, talented detail sculpting and painting, on figures with Hasbro's overall proportions, character likeness, and quality, they would've been near perfect. Due to their more detailed sculpting and paint apps, they place higher with me than the DCUIH figures do, but with the exception of some figures, I don't feel that they can really compare to the current Hasbro offerings.


Edit:
As a little bit of a testimant to the SHS / MLS line, I still can't decide which Spiderman I like better.

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I voted Hasbro Marvel Universe / X-Men Origins: Wolverine. that being said, the hip articulation still doesn't live up to Joe.

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I like the new Hasbro figures. They're sturdier than the Toybiz versions, and some have real accessories and and hands that can use them (some, not all). What I dislike about them mostly are the head sculpts on the Punisher, Silver Surfer, human Human Torch, and Hulks. I also find the difference in articulation from figure to figure kind of annoying.

I really dislike the hip design on the Wolverine figures. The joints stick, and are hard to position. This almost kills this line for me.

I don't like the Mattel DC heroes and have yet to get any (Other than some Dark Knight figures which disappointed me a lot).

Toybiz made some great looking figures. Some not so great looking. Some flimsy. and some where the articulation points didn't really move at all.

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DC Universe Infinite Heroes. I went with this largely because of character preference, or perhaps company preference. I really don't like what Marvel is doing in their universe right now. I don't dislike the iconic characters of Spider-Man, Iron Man, etc., but I really don't think Marvel is putting out good material these days. DC isn't perfect, but I really believe that they're treating the majority of their characters with a greater level of respect.

The figures aren't as bad as some people say. Yes, their articulation is more limited than Marvel Universe. But I tend to think there's a point where a figure in this scale range can almost have too much articulation, to the point where it adversely affects the overall look of the figure. I've seen it happen in Star Wars, and yes, in G.I.Joe. Marvel Universe isn't as bad as I expected it to be, in fact many of them look excellent (love the Spider-Man pics and he's a possible contender for me), but some of the quality issues I've been hearing about do concern me, and there is also the price point factor.

Superhero Showdown was pretty much garbage from the get-go.

I'll agree with Trekker on the variety of characters that DCIH is giving us, and if they all were at 4.99, I might be more into the line. I picked up the non variant Question a few months back, and was thrilled to have him in a workable scale. However, when I got him out of the package the plastic just felt cheap. Like, Funskool quality, or something. However, with the poor articulation (mostly in the women), I just cannot commit fully to this line. Now, I do buy the occasional Manhunter robot, and I do like the Lexcorp suited dewds.

MLS was awesome, in the beginning. I didn't really care that Punny and Cap looked more like Marvel Zombies, I was just thrilled that we were getting 1/18 heroes finally. The line was really picking up with Thor, Beast, and Green Goblin, to name a few. Then the ax fell.

MU/W: O has been tripping all my triggers so far. The most noteable gripe I have is the terrible head they gave the Hulk. Other than that, I'm pleased as punch. With the Secret Wars 2 packs, I'll be getting Kang and Thunderball, and hopefully that is a sign of more obscure characters for down the pipe.

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I went with the MU:FF and W:O figs, i give MLSHS a good second, becouse of the softer plastics, but the new breed is by far better and since these are the first run, they should be getting better, like the Joes.

DCIH, doesn't live up to the action figure potential they should be, at least IMHO.

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This was tougher than I thought it would be, but I went with Marvel Showdown. First, we can eliminate DCIH form being the top one. They are good solid figures of characters I like, but right now they really aren't any better than the Super Powers figures from over 20 years ago. Better sculpting, added elbow joint, but minus a lot of the key accessories and play features. I say they are a draw.

I've only bought a few Marvel U/Wolverine (MU form here on out) figures so I'm comparing them unfairly with the entire MHS line. MU doesn't have universal articulation which really bugs me. They don't need the same body but I want figures that can all have the same poses. But no, this guy gets this kind of ab joint, this guy gets this other ab joint. No swivel bicep here. MHS tried to make everything as universal as possible except for bigger figures. Both have good sculpting but I give the edge to MHS because they really went balls out with Caps armor. MU has better figure design in that they stay together. Both have equally decent accessories. MU might actually get the edge because their Punisher actually comes with guns.

Where I give the MHS the real edge over the others is their lineup. They gave you key/popular characters for both good guys and bad guys right up front. DCIH has me really scratching my head as to how those chose their wave selection. MU has key characters mixed in with some odd choices and barely any villains. Like how did Black Panther and Ronin come out before Thor or any number of top tier villains?

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MU, hands down. They seem to be positioning themselves for greater longevity than SHS, hence we're likely to get a greater variety of characters over the long haul. The scale seems a little better too, but that's coming from somebody who's only purchased one of 'em.

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I was just thinking that the MU figures weren't in relation to a movie or series, so they might have the longevity of the ML line from Toybiz, which, lets be fair, was awesome in its inclusion of lesser know characters.

Maybe I'll get a darkhawk, yes, I know, I'm the only fan, lol.

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I like all of the 3 3/4" superhero figures in release right now.

It's very hard for me to make a pick on which I like more or which is "better".

The Marvel figures are clearly better in terms of sculpting detail, painting, and proportions. But they run almost $10 a pop. I picked up an Iron Man, but can't see buying many more at $10 each. Like GI Trekker, I also believe that too many articulation points really detracts from the overall sculpt of a figure. Sure, Spider-Man is super pose-able, but all of those cut lines start to look mechanical.

DC figures are very simple. Fewer articulation points create a more streamlined look, but this is offset by bad proportions. Many figures have stumpy necks and almost all of them have baseball glove- sized hands. The hands/wrists are also locked at a very unnatural angle. This is a problem that could easily be overcome by adding wrist articulation (which would be easy to hide, too). On the plus side, these figures are only about $5 a piece. For half the price of the Marvel figures, I'm forgiving the less extravagant design. The DC figures also appear to be a bit more kid friendly, smartly balanced with the production of less popular characters.

Gotta go with the current Marvel line.

So few DC characters actually keep my attention, the diversity of their line is nice, but it doesn't make up for them being so tiny. I have Adam Strange great character, and I'd have loved the fig back in the 80's, passed on the question his head is way tiny, and I've only seen him without the trench coat.

The SHS line never showed up up here beyond the first two packs, or they got bought before I ever saw them. Either way all I have is a Doom, a Cap and a Spidey. Spidey is good, Doom is OK and Cap looks like a bad guy. So my limited experience with them causes them to loose the day. However, some of the stuff they came out with later looked nice.

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That's interesting. Hands notwithstanding, my major gripe about somewhat larger figures -- this would be Marvel Legends vs. DCUC, is that so many of the Marvel Legends have these necks on them that if they were any longer, Geoffrey the giraffe from Toys "R" Us would sue for anatomical infringement. They also tend to lean way forward, like half the Marvel Universe needs a good chiropractor.

I honestly couldn't deside, so here is some stuffs.

DCIU: Really its the females that bring this line down, the males are pretty decent in articulation (Minus o-ring they are Original ARAH level and really that is all you need). The character selection is interesting, and in many ways cool. Guy Gardner before Hal Jordon, Aweseome, Zoom and Flash before Supes and Bats, that is cool, gives some variety right off the bat. This was a gutsy gamble too as we all know Supes and Bats would fly off the shelf right away but Guy and Wally maybe not. But at the same time a comic nerd that remembers all the times Guy's wisecracks got him in trouble would appreciate it (ie ME).

MU: Well while I am happy overall, I am not singing the praises the way I see others do. One thing using the SIlver Surfer Torch mold on IRON FIST!!! no sorry that was lame. And I am going have to disagree on the idea the MU is sleeker than the SHS. That's just plain false, SHS looks like he was made of Mercury and slick as ice, MU hasn't got that sheen nor does the mold that he has to hold his arms out from his body look sleek. This is especially when you look at the surfboard, The MU one is so thin and molded from a weak grey plastic, it doesn't enen shine.

That said though some of these are better than SHS while some are even and a few SHS are better. Spidey is about a tie, Cap is an improvement (But I will say look at cap beside the Toy Biz ML ultimate cap and you realize there were a lot more talented people at toy biz, it has nothing to do with detail, cause that would be unfair but with the way the fig presents itself, hard to explain but its very apparent). Daredevil is about even, Goblin is better in SHS too, Hulks body is an improvement while his head isn't. There is no cut and dry answer here. Add in the "hunched over" look of MU and you can see that there are many many flaws.

Wolverine Origins: Seperate cause really there are so many differences from the MU line. The hip joint is the biggest difference and really the biggest detractor from the line. The way ankles are handled (Either blocked to where they can't move or just not there) and of course character selection (Sure we get deadpool and Gambit, but also 10 wolverines, only two of which are desireable).

So really all of them have strengths and weaknesses that make it just no way one is better than the other.

None of the lines are perfect but here's my order.

Marvel Universe from Hasbro. Universal articulation like in the Joe figures would be great, but at least on the bright side the figures do have enough articulation to pose them in interesting ways. I think there is just something in every comic book geek that wants to pose their figures like a comic book cover at some point. While there are some problems with the line right now I think it has the most potential just because Hasbro's other waves like GI Joe and Star Wars are always coming up pack combos to get figures out to the fans. My biggest grip though is the lack of villains. It's great I've got Spider Man but I need Doc or somebody for Spidey to knock out. Way too hero heavy so they need more villains.

Superhero Showdown. This line could have been great but they really failed to see what a gold mine they had because they seemed to focus on the game aspect and not that they were putting out some insanely nice figures in the scale for that time period. If they could have just let go of the game aspect and focused on the just the figures they might not have gone under. Sadly though it was one of those lines where you couldn't complete a team so you were left with things like part of an X-Men team.

DC. I hate to put this line at the bottom of the list given the great and iconic characters that the DC comic books and cartoons have produced over the decades, but sorry a T-crotch figure in this day and age seems more like a knock brand than something from one of the big companies. Hands on some of the figures are just horrible and the heads on some of the heroes makes it look like the Joker was able to sneak into the factory and mess up the figures as a joke. Even if it bumped up the figures cost to $10 I'd still rather pay that for a super articulated Super Man with great sculpting than the type of figures they are putting out now.

I had to go with the current Marvel lines. HAD to.

While there are a few tweaks here and there that I would change (ankle and wrist joints on Gambit), and I am not much of a fan of that hip joint on the Wolverine figures... I still got an awesome Gambit and Deadpool out of this line!

SHS/MLS figures were too flimsy and fragile. The new Hasbro figures are far and away better than these rubbery things.

And maybe I am not getting it, but that DC line is just utter crap IMO. Yay, whoopedy doo, they have Superman and Batman. They are boring figures and they look wierd. With their stoneage articulation, all you can have them do is run. And run. And with the females... I don't know why they even bothered with that wierdo hip joint. That's good for nothing. Nothing ladylike anyway. Besides, the sculpting on them is just really... subpar. Booo!

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