Well, this year at SDCC I ended buying much more than I usually do, albeit a lot of it for friends and co-workers. I’m not normally one who wants exclusives unless it’s a new character than fits into an existing collection. not just a variant or retool (slimed Egon, anyone?)

But this year I did get what is probably my favorite exclusive yet: Hasbro’s Marvel Universe Invaders set! (Although the Wonder Twins were neck and neck. I love those goofy bastards!) True, it is a bunch of repainted and/or kitbashed figures, but they did such a good job I can’t really complain. And Mattel take note: this is how you do exclusive packaging! New art by Marvel EIC Joe Quesada, all on new individual cards that fit in with the regular collection, in a special case with Cho’s pencil art backing each figure PLUS a neat Marvel 70th Anniversary magnet holding the front closed. 

And if you pick up Union Jack you have almost the whole Invaders team (although it’s a shame that the upcoming WW2 Cap and Bucky figures weren’t ready before this set was made. They really would have plussed it up). As is, at least they repainted Cap in desaturated colors befitting the period. If you repaint Firestar’s hair yellow and give her Hobgoblin’s cape she makes for a convincing Spitfire. I did a photoshop mock-up of the sorely needed Baron Blood to round out the lineup. Can you believe we’ve never gotten a figure of this guy?

This set is what’s forced me to give in and pick up a few select MU figures. I’m not going to be a completist on this line, by far. I’ll outline my MU collecting strategy in an upcoming blog, though. I hope Hasbro fulfills the promise of this line, with a few playsets and even crazier forays into depth of character down the road.