SDCC Exclusives: Hasbro

Every July over 100,000 people flock to the Golden State for San Diego Comic Con. The world renowned convention has over the years become a portal for toy companies to showcase their forthcoming products and some companies offer attendees the opportunity to purchase items that are exclusively sold during the four day event.

With this years SDCC less than a month away we will be taking a look at some of the exclusives available to those fortunate enough to be present over the next couple of weeks.

Hasbro have several offerings this year ranging from Star Wars to Transformers, Marvel Universe and er... My Little Pony!

From the upcoming computer game, Fall of Cybertron, comes this fantastic Bruticus gift pack. Much has been made about this exclusive; the SDCC gift pack comes with Vortex, Blast Off, Swindle, Brawl and Onslaught which combine to form Bruticus. Each Transformer will be made available at retail later in the year separately as deluxe figures but the main grievance amongst Transformers fans is the retail version is not in the same game authentic paint application.

If you haven't seen Transformers Prime then spoiler alert! Cliffjumper dies in the first episode... and is then brought back to life by the Decepticons as they test the effects of Dark Energon. The results of which turn Cliffjumper into a zombie. 

Which brings us to Rust In Peace Cliffjumper. The packaging, which is shaped like Cliffjumper's head, looks great and the figure sports a battle damaged paint application.

The packaging for Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover H.I.S.S. Tank Shockwave set features Marvel style comic book artwork, the vehicle comes with BAT and Destro action figures. Another nice looking set which is sure to be popular.

Last years Star Wars offering caused much consternation among completist collectors. The gate-fold Death Star packaging contained 14 Vintage carded figures, two of which - VC66 Mouse Droid & VC67 Salacious Crumb, have never been made available at retail. As a result, those who attended last years event have cashed in and charge around $400.00 for a set which cost $129.99.

This years Hasbro Star Wars offering is a peculiar set. Again the packaging, shaped similar to the carbon freezing chamber featured in The Empire Strikes Back, looks well and the new card artwork looks great.

The Carbonite Chamber features 7 figures, 6 of which will be available later in the year - Jar Jar Binks (Ep I), Clone Trooper Lieutenant (Ep II), Shocktrooper (Ep III), Sandtrooper (Ep IV), Bespin Princess Leia (Ep V) and Darth Vader (Ep VI).

The other is a bit of a novelty item, a Jar Jar Binks frozen in carbonite. Maybe something a lot of fans would like to see but straying from cannon is nearly as sinful as the Gungan's appearance in the prequels.

Hasbro brought back Marvel Legends earlier this year and subsequently cancelled it in the UK after one wave!The line is still going strong elsewhere and to celebrate this, attendees at this years SDCC will have the opportunity to purchase this Uncany X-Force: The Rise of Archangel 3-pack consisting of Psylocke, Archangel and Wolverine.

These 6" figures look impressive, especially Archangel with his metallic wings.

The Marvel Universe offering is another 3-pack. The Masters of Evil set includes three recurring foes of the Avengers Baron Zemo, Radioactive Man and Tiger Shark.

On the subject of the Avengers an SDCC exclusive Super Helli-Carrier with comic versions of Maria Hill and Captain America will be available at Hasbro's booth.

This exclusive is around 4 feet long which is even bigger than the Helli-Carrier Hasbro showcased at New York Toy Fair in February and along with the two figures comes added weaponry and special packaging which features artwork by American comic book writer/artist Joe Quesada.